


sunny days

by foreverwonder



Series: in darkness, we lurk. [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detectives, Detective!Kageyama, F/M, Intern!Hinata, Kidnapping, M/M, Mentioned Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei - Freeform, Murder Mystery, Mutual Pining, Past Kageyama Tobio/Oikawa Tooru, Pining, Serial Killers, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-10
Updated: 2016-11-27
Packaged: 2018-06-07 14:29:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 46,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6809008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foreverwonder/pseuds/foreverwonder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tobio was what one would call a genius. A young junior detective, he was close to burning out at work when he met Hinata. He took one look at the new intern and his first thought was – “What a dumbass.”</p><p>But amidst a string of interconnected murder cases, and his own unexpected feelings towards the intern, Kageyama was forced to face his past and decide - what was the reason for his becoming a detective?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. daybreak

**Author's Note:**

> The Kagehina fic in the same AU as [sugar and salt](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5263478/chapters/12144932). This takes place roughly a few months before that, so you don't have to read that one to understand what is happening here.

"Kageyama."

The junior detective tore his eyes away from his report and looked up at the sound of his name. His senior detective, Sawamura-san was standing by his desk, smiling broadly at him. Tobio put his report down and stood up, nodding slightly in greeting.

"Yes?" He asked politely. Sawamura-san nodded back in greeting, smile still in place.

"We spoke about this last week about the new intern's coming in today. Do you remember?"

Tobio's thin eyebrows rose high, eyes wide. Sawamura-san chuckled.

"I guess not," he remarked and Tobio felt heat creep up the back of his neck.

"Sorry- I was-," he stammered, trying to find an excuse that he really did forget and not that he wasn't paying attention to his senior when they talked about it. Sawamura-san, thankfully, took no offense and waved off his apologies.

"Don't worry about it," he said lightly. "I'm actually here to introduce the intern to you anyway."

It was then that Tobio noticed a person hiding behind Sawamura-san. He cocked his head to get a better view. The intern was short, barely reaching Sawamura-san's shoulders. His wild hair was a bright orange that Tobio had to blink to get used to the brightness. The detective frowned, his eyes sliding down from his hair to his face, locking gazes with a pair of brown orbs. The pair of brown eyes were round and wide and big and Tobio blinked, taking in his whole face, from his small nose and his smooth round cheeks. He was watching the detective curiously, his lips pursed as he continued to hide behind Sawamura-san.

"... A high schooler?" Tobio accidentally blurted out and immediately the expression on the intern's face turned sour.

"What was that, you bastard?!" His voice was shrill and loud and Tobio winced at the assault on his ears. He watched the intern trying to give him the most intimidating glare he could muster, but it was significantly watered down by the fact that the intern was still hiding behind Sawamura-san, who laughed at their exchange.

"Kageyama," he chortled, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye as he stepped away from the intern, leaving the shorter man exposed to Tobio's full scrutiny. "This is Hinata Shouyou. He's the same age as you and he'll be interning here for six months. Hinata, this is Kageyama Tobio, a junior detective in my department."

Tobio's eyesbrows were up to his hairline. He studied Hinata's stiffened posture and pout and the first thought that came to him was, "What a dumbass."

 

 

 

One could call Kageyama Tobio a genius.

Entering the Police Academy after dropping out of university at twenty-three years of age, he graduated within a year and was made junior detective a mere six months after. One could see the talent he had at picking up clues and going after leads. If there was a flaw to this genius, however, it was his inability to bond with his colleagues. It was not uncommon for Tobio to accidentally step on the toes of the more experienced, either through his lack of politeness or his unwitting disregard for social etiquette. He was hard to work with, many complained, and behind his back they dubbed him a tyrant king.

Nevertheless, Tobio did his job as per usual, closing his eyes to the discrimination he faced. He didn't even object when his colleagues had enough, requesting him to be transferred to a different district - he merely nodded and carried on working.

That was when he was placed under the care of Chief Nekomata and placed in the same team as Kuroo-san and Sawamura-san, who treated him kindly. Even then, Tobio could feel the gap between him and his senior detectives, and it frustrated him that he could not get along well with others naturally.

Which was why Tobio was staring in shock at the scene in front of him.

He had been instructed by Sawamura-san to bring the new intern around the office - "like a tour," he had said, smiling at Hinata's enthusiasm. Tobio couldn't bring himself to refuse, especially without a good reason; he had finished his report and there wasn't anything urgent that he needed to attend to. Plus, Sawamura-san was scary when he was angry. He did the tour with a flat voice which didn't deter the shorter intern, his brown eyes shining as he took in everything in stride. He greeted everyone cheerfully, smiling wide, bouncing from the balls of his feet. Tobio merely grimaced, confused at the attention Hinata was getting easily from his colleagues but did nothing to stop, walking broodingly next to him.

But he couldn't help and let his jaw drop when he brought Hinata to meet the Medical Officer, Kozume-san. Hinata had practically bounded to the other and chatted his ear off. He was even more surprised that Kozume-san did not withdraw from the intern like he had whenever Kageyama spoke to him, but instead spoke to him normally, eyes glinting. He never thought Kozume-san could talk that much.

"How..?" Tobio trailed off, staring at the back of Hinata's head after they left Kozume-san's office, curiosity getting the better of him. Hinata turned after saving Kozume-san's number to look at him questioningly. Tobio cleared his throat hesitantly.

"How do you... Talk to people like that?" He asked again, eyes focused on the empty space by the other man's ear as he willed himself to not blush. Hinata blinked owlishly at him, brown eyes staring before his lips split to a grin.

"I just do," he shrugged, turning back round before exclaiming at something. Tobio could only watch, confused and slightly frustrated at the intern's answer.

Yet he couldn't help the feeling of awe washing over him.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

"Good morning Kageyama!"

Tobio tore his eyes from his report, blinking tired blue eyes that took in the sight of a fresh face and bright orange hair. He squinted under the harsh light until Hinata's face came into focus, a smile wide on his face and a cup of brewed coffee in his hands. Tobio's mouth watered at the smell of coffee, the fog in his head started to clear.

"Ossu," he mumbled, eyes still on the cup of coffee. Hinata noticed his stare on the coffee for his smile got bigger as he placed the cup on Tobio's desk.

"I ran into Daichi-san on my way here," the intern began, pulling his jacket off as he sat in the seat beside Tobio. "He told me you've been in since yesterday afternoon. He also told me you like the coffee from the cafe across the street."

Tobio blinked, surprised at the kind gesture. He felt his ears grew warm at the sight of Hinata's smile before he tore his eyes away, picking up the coffee, trying to distract himself. "... Thanks," he muttered. Although he couldn't see Hinata's face, he was pretty sure the smile of the intern's face has grown.

"Don’t mention it!" Hinata said as he leaned into his seat, pulling out a wrapped meatbun before biting into it. Tobio turned his attention back to his coffee on hand and took a tentative sip.

They sat in silence for a moment, amidst the bustling of the office. Tobio took the time to think back on the first time he met the intern. It had been two months since then, and he could visibly see the impact the intern had made in the office. While he was clumsy to no end during the first few weeks (with an incident where Hinata accidentally spilled coffee all over Tobio's desk and his reports, resulting in a screaming match between the two that was ultimately broken up by a very angry Sawamura-san), he picked up the duties he was assigned to eagerly and was now running around smoothly with minimal supervision. His bright personality certainly helped him as well, with colleagues willing to show him the ropes and being generally friendly towards him.

Tobio chanced a glance to his right at Hinata and was startled by the sudden closeness between them - the intern was leaning over his table, looking at his report with interest. Tobio pushed himself back into the seat to avoid contact with Hinata, his face suddenly feeling warm. The intern didn't seemed to have noticed the junior detective's discomfort, brown eyes focused on the words Tobio had typed out throughout the night and puffed out cheeks full of meatbun.

"So what's your current case about?" Hinata asked, pulling Tobio out of his thoughts. Tobio gave a cough, taking another sip of coffee before placing the cup gingerly on his desk.

"Missing person," he mumbled, eyeing the report in slight distaste.

He liked the work of a detective, he really did. But being assigned missing persons cases really took a toll on him, physically and emotionally. Most days, Tobio would find himself sprawled on his desk or the pantry table, taking the time to go home only for a quick shower and a change of clothes. On the bad days, however, he would come back to the office with a black eye from a grieving family member. Tobio had refused countless times to press charges on these instances of assault though, insisting that he was fine. But when he lay in bed at night after closing a case, he could feel an emptiness in his chest that he couldn't fill.

Hinata looked up from his report to his face, his lips forming an excited question. Maybe it was his expression - Tobio couldn't school it in time - because the intern's inquisitive look turned to one of concern. He reached and gingerly placed a hand on Tobio's arm.

"You okay?" He asked softly, brown eyes looking straight into his blue ones and Tobio fought the urge to tear his gaze away. He settled on nodding stiffly, taking in a deep breath and letting it out, the tension in his shoulders leaving his being before clearing his throat.

"I usually deal with missing persons," Tobio began and Hinata slid back to his seat, his eyes shining in eagerness. "People would be reported missing after twenty-four hours and the police would usually handle it, with the questioning and surveillance. But if the reported person is suspected to be in danger, the case will be brought up to the detectives."

"That's where I come in," Tobio took another sip of coffee, eyeing his report still. "Sometimes people don't go missing because they want to. Kidnapping.., Suicide and so on... I follow their trails as quickly as I can. This one," Tobio tapped his monitor, sparing a glance at Hinata who was listening with rapt attention. "Disappeared three days ago near the Shibuya crossing. Found her yesterday morning dead in the lake of the Yoyogi Park with her wrists slashed. Suicide."

He remembered finding the body, floating just out of sight of civilians. Clothes that were brand new and drenched with blood and water. A suicide note was hidden in her bag by the bank. Tobio could still see the image of her mother in his mind, collapsed on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably after they positively identified the body. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose before taking the last few sips of his coffee. A warm touch startled him out of his thoughts. He turned to find Hinata touching his back gently, his eyes warm.

"Kageyama," he said, smiling softly. "You did what you could."

Tobio's eyes widened at that before he sighed. He locked gazes with the intern and gave a minute nod. "Mhn," he mumbled, turning away to finish the last few sections of his report.

"You really like your job, huh?" He heard Hinata asked, curiosity colouring his tone.

"I do," he replied almost immediately. And he did, even with the crazy hours and emotional toll on his being.

“Why did you become a detective?"

At that question, Tobio paused his typing, his eyes unseeing. His mind drifted to memories he didn't want to remember and shook his head slightly.

"Kageyama?"

Tobio took a moment before turning to face the intern, lifting a hand and roughly ruffled the bright orange hair. It earned him a squawk from Hinata who tried to struggle out of his grip.

“Don’t be a busybody,” Tobio said, his voice carrying a tone of finality.

As Hinata whined about how mean the junior detective was to him and Kuroo-san appearing with a smirk on his face, Tobio's thoughts drifted back to memories of hostile brown eyes and a thin smile.

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Couldn't finish this earlier because of exams. Here's chapter 2!

_Tobio froze, his heart hammering hard against his rib cage. His left ear was still whistling from where the glass cup had missed his face by a few inches, shattering upon contact with the wall behind. Eyes wide, he stared at the figure standing by the sink in their kitchen, eyes cold and lips thin._

_"What-" Tobio began, but words died in his throat as he scrambled to piece together a sentence. He settled for openly gaping at the figure, silent, still frozen from shock. The hair on the back of his nape stood when he remembered the shattered glass cup behind him- the patterned glass cup he had bought for the other man._

_"Tobio."_

_His attention snapped back to the figure by the sink at the sound of his name to find the other man's face buried in his hands. Tobio waited, heart racing, not daring to speak up first because the last time he did that, the fight dragged on even longer. Finally, what felt like hours when it was mere minutes, the other man let out a heavy sigh, lifting his head from his hands to stare at Tobio. Tobio swallowed thickly, seeing nothing but anger and dislike swirling in those brown eyes._

_"I'm done."_

_The words uttered were soft, but it rang loud and clear in the dark apartment. Tobio blinked once, twice, the hammering in his chest now bordering on being painful as he struggled to come up with something to say._

_"O-"_

_"I'm sick of this. I'm sick of feeling inferior to you, at always being compared to your genius self," the man was rambling now, but the tension in his jaw and shoulders remained and Tobio could hear his voice clearly across the blood pounding in his ears._

_"But-"_

_"Get out."_

_Tobio snapped his head to stare at him, eyes wide and his heart pounding hard against his chest. The blood pounding in his ears buzzed loudly, making him almost dizzy. "Why?" He whispered, his lower lip trembling as he struggled to breathe._

_The other man narrowed his eyes, his lips set in a thin line. "Are you deaf as well, Tobio? I said I'm done with this," he spat out, now walking around the dining table to stand a few meters away from Tobio. "Get out," he repeated._

_Tobio took in a shuddering breath as he jerkily shook his head. His mind formed calming words but his throat tightened and his tongue seemed stuck to the roof of his mouth. The two of them stood in silence for a long moment before the other man sighed, running a hand through his brown locks._

_"If you're not going," he muttered, "then I'm leaving."_

_Before Tobio could swallow thickly and find his voice, the other man brushed past him, grabbing his wallet and keys and left, slamming the door shut. The sound echoed through the empty apartment while Tobio remained rooted in the floor, breathing shakily. His eyes went to the broken shards of the glass cup on the floor by the wall and his breath got choked in his throat once again._

_Then, his eyes grew hot and his vision blurred._

 

* * *

 

 

Tobio opened his eyes slowly, adjusting to the darkness of his room. He was on his side in his bed, staring at the blank white wall of his room. Blinking a few times, he wondered what had caused him to wake up even though his body was aching from exhaustion when the phone buzzed to life loudly at his bedside table. He grabbed it, blinking blearily at the bright screen to find Sawamura calling.

"Hello?" He grunted, his voice hoarse from sleep as he answered the call. Sawamura's voice crackled with static from the other end.

"Sorry, Kageyama. Did I wake you?"

Tobio automatically shook his head before remembering the older detective could not see him. "No," he replied, sitting up on his bed, getting more alert by the minute. "Is something wrong?"

"A case came up. We need you to be on it as well," Sawamura stated easily, and Tobio could hear the commotion of the office in the background in the late night. "I'm sorry for calling you back just hours after your shift-"

"It's okay," Tobio cut him off as he kicked his covers aside, pushing himself up and off the bed. "I'll be there soon."

"Okay," Sawamura said, relief colouring his tone. "I'll see you soon."

Tobio grunted in affirmation before cutting off the line. He stood by his bed for a while, running a hand through his damp hair as he recalled his dream. It had been a long time since he dreamt about the incident but it was still as fresh in his mind as it was when it first happened. The fight, the anger and the pain; it had been buried into the deep recesses of his mind for years. Tobio suspected it must have been due to Hinata's prodding question a few weeks back that the memories resurfaced. He frowned, bring the hand in his hair down to run his face.

_"Stop it,"_ He thought, pinching the bridge of his nose. He had a job to do, and he couldn't afford to waste any time reminiscing about the past.

 

 

 

"You look like shit."

Tobio glanced up to find Kuroo standing by his desk, a smirk on his face. He held out a cup of coffee to Tobio who graciously accepted it, blowing at the surface lightly before gingerly taking a sip.

"Thanks," he said to which Kuroo waved him off, taking a sip from his own cup and settling in the seat opposite it.

"So," the messy-haired detective began, eyeing Tobio critically. "When was the last time you slept?"

Tobio frowned at his coffee, trying hard to think past the fog that had started to creep in his mind. He honestly could not remember. He remembered when he went back him after clocking out from a long shift and Sawamura-san calling him back for a case.

That was the day before and now Tobio was finishing his report on the kidnapping case, frustrated at himself for the lack of evidence and trail. He could feel Kuroo's gaze still on to him so he cleared his throat, eyes fixed on his report as he shrugged nonchalantly.

"Can't remember," he lied and knew that Kuroo didn't buy it when he narrowed his gold eyes at the raven-haired man. He reached out and roughly ruffled Tobio's hair.

"Kuroo-san!" Tobio whined trying his hardest to duck away from the older detective's hand.

"You need to take better care of yourself, Kageyama," Kuroo said, not the least bit put out at Tobio's ducking. "You have a life outside work, y'know."

Tobio thought of his empty apartment and mumbled, "It's not like there's anyone waiting for me at home."

At this, Kuroo stopped messing his hair and stared at him with an unreadable expression. He withdrew his hand to rest his elbow on the desk, his chin in his palm as he studied Tobio, making the younger detective squirm in his seat. They sat in an uncomfortable silence for a while, Kuroo still staring at Tobio while the younger detective fiddled with his coffee cup. Finally the messy-haired man sighed, leaning back into his chair.

"Do you like your job, Kageyama?" Kuroo asked suddenly.

"Yes," Tobio replied almost immediately. He paused the moment he said that. It had been his default and automatic response to this question since a while back. But there was an ache in his chest and a weariness in his bones that had started to settle for a while. Tobio bit his bottom lip.

Was it the truth?

The question was reflected in Kuroo's gold eyes as he eyed Tobio critically but Tobio avoided his gaze. "Yes," he repeated as convincingly as he could, as if repeating would make the weariness in his bones go away.

Kuroo narrowed his eyes but didn't say push it. He reached out to pat Tobio on his shoulder. "If you're too swamped with work," he began, his tone gentle. "You could always ask chief for a partner-"

"No," Tobio shook his head, shrugging the older detective's Palm from his shoulder as he stood up unsteadily, gathering some papers and reports into his arms. "I'm _fine_. I don't need a partner- I can work just fine." Giving Kuroo a stiff bow, he trudged towards the chief's office, not before bumping into someone.

Blinking, irritation crawling in his skin, he turned to find an annoyed Hinata pouting at him. "Watch where you're going, Kageyama!" The intern exclaimed half-seriously but Tobio couldn't help the burst of anger that suddenly overcame him.

"Why don't YOU watch where you're going?" He bellowed, catching Hinata and himself by surprise. The intern's eyes were wide, mouth hanging open as he stared at Tobio. The junior detective swallowed thickly, feeling Kuroo's eyes on his back. He clicked his tongue, turned away just as Hinata found his voice and stormed off towards the chief's office, ignoring everyone else.

He slammed the door open, bowing stiffly in apology before getting to business. "Chief," he said, trying to be as polite as possible. "I need a new assignment."

The chief stared hard at him, an eyebrow raised and lips pulled into a disapproving frown. He seemed to be thinking about saying something, probably to call him out on his behaviour but thought better of it. He snapped shut the folder that was in his hands and tossed in across his table towards Tobio, who reached out immediately and opened the folder. An official photo of a slim teenage girl greeted him. Tobio noted her particulars quickly, committing it to memory.

"Latest missing person," the chief said and Tobio lifted his gaze to the elderly man. "Parents found it unusual that she hasn't been home a day after her school camp was over. Her friends last saw her when they parted ways from school."

Tobio nodded in acknowledgement before bowing stiffly to the chief. "Thank you," he said politely, turning to grip the doorknob.

"Kageyama."

At the sound of his name, Tobio turned to find the chief eyeing him critically. There was a moment of silence before the elderly man let out an audible sigh. "Don't wear yourself out."

Tobio blinked before he nodded absentmindedly to the chief. He then went straight to his desk and grabbed his jacket, ignoring the concerned gazes of Hinata and Sawamura who was in a discussion with Kuroo, before he walked out, the chief's words fading from his mind.

 

 

 

Tobio tugged at his shirt collar before pinching the bridge of his nose. The morning weather out at the park was cool, as expected of the early moments of spring. Yet Tobio felt oddly warm in his shirt and jacket. Not to mention the pounding headache he was sprouting since he arrrived. Blinking back the white spots from his vision, Tobio looked down on the body found lying on the flowerbed of tulips.

They had received a panicked call from a civilian in the early hours of the day about the body. Tobio had been in the office then and had rushed out almost immediately, ignoring the surprised calls of Sawamura and Kuroo. He eyed the body warily, his blue eyes shifting between it and the folder in his hand.

The picture of the girl in the folder matched the dead body. Skin already blue, Tobio eyed the crisp collar of her blouse and the stiff fabric of her midi skirt. The clothes looked brand new. His eyes wandered to the bright red marks on her wrists and the clear plastic bag on her head, with a rope tied round her neck. _Odd_ , Tobio thought, but the throbbing in his skull prevented him from pursuing that train of thought.

"Kageyama."

Tobio looked up to find Detective Akaashi walking towards him. Wavy hair fluttering lightly in the breeze and face impassive, he glanced coolly at the body before turning his attention to the junior detective. "Akaashi-san," Tobio greeted politely, respect apparent in his tone. Akaashi nodded at him, pulling out a zip-locked back containing a piece of paper.

"This was found with the body earlier," Akaashi said and Tobio lifted recognised it as a suicide note. "I spoke to the person who made the call, but the guy saw nothing." He sighed, his heavily lidded eyes sweeping across Tobio's face.

"... You look like you need sleep."

Tobio shook his head jerkily. "I'm fine," he mumbled, ignoring the white spots that continued dancing over his vision from the minute movement of his head. The pounding in his skull seemed to have increased. Akaashi regarded him coolly, but did not pursue the matter. He studied the body again, deep in thought.

"This is my sixth suicide case this week," he mumbled, letting out a resigned sigh as he pocketed the suicide note before proceeding to dig out something from his messenger bag.

"Here."

Tobio looked down to find a store-bought rice ball in Akaashi's hand. "Take it," the older man said. "When was the last time you've eaten?"

Tobio bit his bottom lip, frowning. When _was_ the last time he ate, he wondered himself. Finding no reason to decline Akaashi's offer, he gingerly picked up the rice ball and pocketed it. "Thanks," he said stiffly and Akaashi waved him off.

"You should head back to the office. I'll finish up here," he said and Tobio could hear the tone of dismissal from the older detective. He gave a short, stiff bow, stuffing the folder back into his own messenger bag and left the scene. He pulled onto his shirt collar once again, feeling oddly stuffy as he debated whether to take the train or the cab back to the station (Akaashi drove them from the station earlier). In the end the pounding in his head forced him to hail a cab back to the station.

Pressing his forehead onto the cool glass of the car window, Tobio let his eyes close and his kind wander. The memory of glass breaking behind him resurfaced before it faded out and was replaced with the memory of the lake in Yoyogi Park. Tobio remembered the red slashed wrists, the brand new clothes drenched, from the body floating in the lake...

Tobio's eyes snapped open and he shot up straight. The driver jerked in surprise before announcing their destination. Tobio shoved a ten thousand yen bill in his hand before running out of the cab, his mind whirring beneath the pounding of his head. _The body in the lake a few weeks ago..,_ he recalled odd brand new clothes and the generic suicide note pinned in the victim’s skirt. He then thought of the body on the flowerbed, with her starchy new shirt and clear plastic bag which looked oddly out of place. _Is there a connection?_

His tried to think but the pain in his skull flared up just then, and Tobio squinted in pain. He tugged continuously on his collar, the pressure in his chest making it hard to breathe.

"Shit," he thought, pushing the door to the station open and stumbled in just as the spots dancing it his vision increased in size. He felt his knees wobbled before his legs gave way, his kneecaps slamming painfully hard on the floor.

He could only make out a gasp and a flash of orange before Tobio lost consciousness.

 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've upped the Kagehina interactions in this chapter! Also now with proper plot!
> 
> This fic will be updated every other week.

When Tobio woke up, he was staring at the ceiling with harsh industrial lights. Blinking quickly until he was used to the brightness, he took a few moments to gather himself. He remembered the case with Akaashi, the cab ride back to the station, and then-

Blackness.

"You're awake."

Startled, Tobio turned his head at the direction of the voice and saw Sawamura sitting on a stiff, uncomfortable chair that was usually found in hospitals.

Hospital...

Tobio blinked, letting his tired eyes wander around the room. The spartan, white, and unnaturally clean room confirmed his suspicions. Letting out a long breath, Tobio squirmed, trying to push himself up to a sitting position. He saw Sawamura getting out of his seat, hands out as if ready to steady the younger man.

"Easy, or you'll pull on your drip."

"I'm fine," Tobio mumbled tiredly, ignoring Sawamura's outstretched hand until he managed to sit up properly. The older man sat back on his chair, his kind, brown eyes studying Tobio.

"You collapsed the moment you entered the station," he said. "You gave Hinata quite a scare. The doctor said it was due to fatigue and malnutrition."

Tobio groaned at that, squeezing his eyes shut and bringing up a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. He suddenly remembered the riceball Akaashi had passed to him and his stomach gave a growl. While he was used to the irregular work hours and even more irregular mealtimes, he had always made sure to not go beyond his limit. To not realise just how much he was pushing himself to the point of collapsing during his shift was mortifying in itself. He huffed out a frustrated sigh, running his hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry for the trouble," Tobio mumbled, his eyes fixed on the blanket on his lap. He heard Sawamura sigh, and then a clatter of a chair shifting before he felt a slight pat on his head. Surprised, he jerked his head up to find Sawamura hovering over him, a hand patting his hair consolingly, a small smile on his face.

"You need to take care of yourself," Sawamura said, smiling still. "Besides, I'm not the one you should apologise to."

Tobio quirked his eyebrows at that, his lips pulled to a frown, as he mulled through Sawamura's words when a loud clatter broke through the silence. His eyes left the older detective to focus on the door and saw a mob of orange hair peeking from the side of the door. Sawamura followed his gaze.

"Hinata," the older detective called out and the intern let out a squeak. He peeked into the room, brown eyes wide.

"May I come in?" He asked, unsure, and Sawamura chuckled before nodding. Hinata then beamed and bounced in, bringing with him a plastic bag Tobio recognised was from a convenience store.

"I'm going back to the station. Rest well, Kageyama," Sawamura said with a smile and Tobio nodded, thanking him softly. The older detective merely waved him off and turned to Hinata, patting him lightly on the shoulder.

"Don't be late for your shift later."

"Yes!"

With that, Sawamura left, shutting the door quietly behind him. Tobio watched the door for a few moments before focusing his gaze on Hinata now standing beside his bed, fidgeting slightly.

"What?" Tobio growled, his fingers clenching and unclenching at the restlessness Hinata was displaying. The intern flinched slightly at the tone of his voice but Tobio noted the set line of his lips before Hinata glared at him, plopping himself on the seat Sawamura had recently vacated.

"You don't have to be so rude," Hinata mumbled, turning his attention on the plastic bag on his lip now, digging through it while Tobio watched, frowning. The intern proceeded to pull out a meatbun and tossed it to Tobio, who caught it with ease.

"You must be hungry since you've been asleep for almost the whole day," Hinata said, his expression sombre. "Eat."

Tobio stared at the meatbun in his hand, before eyeing Hinata suspiciously. "Why are you being so nice to me? What do you want?" He asked harshly, his eyes narrowed at the orange-haired man. There was no way anyone would be so kind towards someone who had lashed out at them, Tobio thought. Not to mention, Tobio being, well- _Tobio_ , and people would usually avoid contact with him. Tobio had long come to accept the fact that he was unlikeable at work and had been determined to work on his own.

Hinata was staring at him in surprise, not expecting Tobio's question. Tobio didn't break eye contact with the intern, and waited for the mask to break and for Hinata to reveal his ulterior motives. But Hinata frowned, his eyebrows furrowed and Tobio saw a flash of anger in his brown eyes.

"What the hell, Kageyama," he grounded out, his lips pulled downwards even more and Tobio decided he didn't like the expression on the shorter man's face. "Can't I just be nice to a colleague without a reason?"

Tobio ground his teeth and opened his mouth to retort but Hinata suddenly stood up, coming close to his side and pushed the hand holding the meatbun hard into Tobio's chest.

"Oi!"

"Kageyama."

Tobio paused at the sound of him name, staring at Hinata's mob of hair now that the intern was looking down. He watched the shorter man's shoulder rose when he took in a deep breath and relaxed before his raised his head to lock gazes with Tobio. Tobio froze at the intensity of Hinata's gaze and watched his lips part.

"I," he started, eyes determined and Tobio swallowed. "I think you're awesome and great at your job. I could see you overworking yourself and I-I just wanted to help you out. That's all."

Tobio mulled over his words with raised eyebrows. He noted the sincerity in Hinata's eyes and suddenly felt guilt washed over him. He yanked his hand from Hinata's grasp, his fingers still wrapped around the meatbun. He lowered his gaze to his lap, feeling the prickle of shame at the tips of his ears. Hinata stepped back and flopped into the chair, exhaling loudly. Neither said anything for a moment, letting the uncomfortable silence wrap around them. Then, Tobio sighed, running his free hand down his face.

"Sorry," he mumbled, too soft to be heard under the thick blanket of silence.

"Huh?"

"I said-" Tobio exclaimed before stopping himself, taking in a breath to look Hinata in the eye. "I'm sorry," he repeated softly, watching the widening of Hinata's brown eyes. "Sorry for... Doubting you and... For the other day in the office."

Hinata's eyes were so wide they were round and his mouth hung open. Tobio squirmed under his gaze before the intern collected himself and flash the junior detective a wide grin.

"It's okay, Kageyama-kun!" He exclaimed, his grin so wide, his eyes crinkling at the corners. Tobio felt a weird lurch in his stomach at the sight. He looked away, bringing his attention back to the meatbun in hand. His stomach growled once more before he took a bite into the bun, sighing in relief and letting his lips stretch to a small smile.

"And thanks for this," he mumbled between bites, loud enough for the intern before him to not miss it. There was no response from the shorter man so Tobio looked up, only to find Hinata staring back at him with wide eyes once again.

This time, a tinge of red bloomed high at his cheeks and the tips of his ears and Tobio nearly choked onto his bite of the meatbun when his breath left him. Hacking and coughing, Tobio fumbled for the glass of water by his bed, barely missing it while Hinata jumped to his feet to help him.

Throughout the chaos that occurred, Tobio couldn't shake off the thought at the sight of a blushing Hinata.

 

 

_"Cute."_

 

 

 

 

When Tobio entered returned to work two days later, he wasted no time and walked straight to Akaashi's desk. The older detective was thankfully in, running through his report when he saw Tobio approach him.

"I see that you're looking well," Akaashi stated his observation when Tobio pulled a chair to sit next to the other man.

"Sorry for all the trouble," he apologised and Akaashi nodded, saving his report before turning his full attention to Tobio.

"So, what is it?"

Clasping his hands together and letting it dangle in between his legs, Tobio ran through his last case in his mind once again. Missing teenage girls only to be found dead in brand new clothes, cuts on wrists in secluded parts of parks.

"Akaashi-san," he began slowly, "did you close the case from the other day?"

The older detective nodded, turning to his computer screen, clicking away, presumably to retrieve the case file. "Suicide. I've informed the family. They were very devastated."

Tobio swallowed. "Can we reopen the case on suspicions for foul play?"

Akaashi paused in his ministrations, turning back to fully regard the junior detective. He seemed deep in thought but his eyes didn't hold any scepticism in them.

"Have you encountered any similar cases before?"

Tobio nodded fervently and proceeded to tell him about the case from three weeks back. Akaashi leaned back in his chair, sighing deeply, eyebrows furrowed to show an unusually tired expression. "Kozume was the one who examined the body," he said slowly and Tobio inches forward to take in every word the other man was saying. "There were no other wounds besides the ones on the wrists and neck from the rope burn." He paused and brought a hand to tap on his chin.

"What would be the killer's motive to kill someone and make it seem like a suicide?"

Tobio shrugged slightly, lips pulled to a frown. "We don't know anything concrete for now. These are merely theories and speculations," he said, locking gazes with Akaashi. "I need a favour, Akaashi-san."

"Shoot."

"I need any cases dated since six months back that were ruled as suicides which have similar patterns. Like... The cut wrists, the new clothes, the locations," he said quickly, gripping his clasped hands tightly.

Akaashi took one look at him before nodding. "Okay," he said, "it might take a while but I'll pass them to you within the week."

"Thank you," Tobio breathed out, nodding his head in thanks as he stood up.

"Kageyama."

Tobio turned over his shoulder to find Akaashi looking at him with an almost fond expression. "It's good to see you back."

His sentence caught Tobio off guard as he stuttered another thanks and bowed jerkily at the older detective, who chuckled lightly.

 

 

 

He found one similar case he had closed four months ago.

A teenage girl went missing after she had left school late due to committee meeting. She was found dead within the week, at the quieter parts of Ueno Park, wrists slashed and wearing a brand new frock.

Tobio sighed, leaning back into his chair as he thought. Could these cases be related? If so, what was the motive? Who was the perpetrator? He rubbed a hand on his face, suddenly feeling tired. The victims too has similar descriptions. Petite, with light coloured hair. All disappearing at places where people could have seen them, places where they frequent. Tobio straightened his back at that thought.

Have the girls been watched before they disappeared?

Could the cases - murders, Tobio suspected - be planned?

"What a sick person," he mumbled to himself just as a clatter of a chair being pulled broke through his reverie and he looked up to find Hinata settling on the seat opposite him. Their eyes met and the intern flashed him a smile.

"Morning!" He greeted before placing a styrofoam cup in front of the junior detective. Tobio spied the dark liquid and the aroma of instant coffee from it.

"... Morning," he mumbled, feeling the word awkwardly leave his tongue as his fingers inched towards the cup of coffee. Hinata hummed and Tobio noticed he had his own cup of coffee in hand. Clearing his throat, Tobio gingerly held onto the coffee. "Thanks."

Hinata flashed him another smile and the detective noted a tinge of red at the tips of the intern's ears. He averted his eyes at that, focusing on the coffee instead as his mouth suddenly felt dry. His tongue was almost burned off at the heat but Tobio didn't let that gaze him, instead focusing back onto his report. He hadn't noticed that the shorter man was watching him still.

"What are you up to?"

Tobio, slightly startled, glanced at Hinata who looking at him curiously, blowing slightly into his coffee. He grunted in response, swallowing the sudden excess saliva in his mouth.

"Work," he said lamely, earning him an eye roll from the intern.

"So hard-working, Kageyama-kun."

"Dumbass," Tobio retaliated almost immediately though there was no heat in his words. That earned him a laugh from the intern and Tobio felt a weird twisting in his stomach at the sound. Their conversation was cut short, however, when Sawamura entered the office, only to be barked at by the chief to get in his room with his partner and Hinata in tow. The intern leapt to his feet excitedly, sparing Tobio a last glance and smile before jogging up to his superiors. The junior detective watched the shorter man go until the chief's office door slammed shut and snapped him out of his staring.

He could feel his heart hammering in his chest and Tobio shook his head, trying to rid himself of the fluttering in his gut.

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! It's been a hectic month but here's the next chapter! I hope I'll be able to continue updating this bi-weekly.

When Akaashi got back to him a day later with two more similar cases, Tobio wasted no time in drawing out the timeline.

The first case was from seven months ago. A university student was last seen going back to her apartment from the convenience store a few blocks away. Her roommate had grown worried after she hadn't returned the whole night and filed a missing persons report the next morning. She was found dead near a ditch a few stations away two days later, dressed in a patterned dress, wrists slit. A suicide note clung to her cold fingers.

The other case was a Jane Doe, who was found dead three months in the heart of Shinjuku Chuo Park, reported by the homeless there. There weren't any identification on her body nor were there any suicide notes. But her clothing was unmistakably new and feminine, with long red lines on her wrists where she bled out.

Tobio sighed, eyesbrows furrowed as he leaned back against his chair. The second case was an odd one; it was the only one that the victim was an unidentified Jane Doe. It was no surprise that Akaashi wasn't able to make any connections between the two cases before. But now...

Tobio turned to his computer, clicking open the files and report he had found earlier. With all five cases put together, he could come up with a solid M.O. Slim, petite girls were the main victims, all unrelated to one another. Most were last seen at places they frequent, like the convenience stores and the fact they all were found in the greater Tokyo region.

 _"Wait,"_ Tobio thought, sitting up suddenly as he re-read his reports. His eyes narrowed at the photos of the various suicide notes, sprouting similar, generic words about saying goodbye to this cruel world. But that was not the main thing that caught his attention.

Tobio squinted.

On the Jane Doe's suicide note, the edges of torn paper revealed a part of a round print - a logo.

"Kageyama!"

Clicking his tongue at the sound of his name, Tobio shifted his glare from his report to the smiling orange-haired intern standing in front of him. His glare did nothing to wipe the smile off Hinata's face, though he noted, with a grim sense of satisfaction, that the intern began shifting slightly in his position.

"What, dumbass," Tobio said flatly, not bothering to make his sentence sound like a question. He hated it whenever he was interrupted from his work, snapping at his colleagues without any hesitation. That would usually cause them to withdraw from the detective, knowing better than to bother him again. But Hinata merely allowed his smile to widen as he shoved a cup of coffee under Tobio's nose.

Tobio blinked, taking the cup automatically from the intern, staring at it for a moment before looking back at Hinata. "... Thanks," he mumbled and he thought he saw Hinata's brown eyes brightened at that. A sudden flutter of something bloomed in his chest and Tobio swallowed, willing his face to not let the grumpy expression slip. Hinata, thankfully, did not seemed to have caught wind of Tobio's internal conflict for he gave the detective one last smile, tilted his head to give him a look from under his lashes and bounded off towards the medical office, presumably to see Kozume. Tobio watched the shorter man until he was out of sight.

Contrary to popular belief, Tobio was not an idiot in regards to romantic feelings. He was acquainted enough with the subject of romance to understand the weird flutter in his chest and the twist in his stomach. He had a crush, and Tobio scowled at the fact that it was directed at the dumbass intern. He ran his free hand through his hair, sighing loudly.

He and romance do not go well with each other. He had concluded that a long time ago, in the empty apartment, with the shattered china on the floor.

Just then, the chair beside him was pulled back and Kuroo slumped into the chair.

"Ossu," he greeted Kuroo dully, before taking a sip of the coffee. Kuroo raised a lazy hand salute, slumping his upper body on the desk, burying his head in his arms.

"I'm exhausted," Kuroo muttered, his voice muffled in the fabric of his shirt. Tobio gave a grunt in response, putting the coffee on the desk before going back to his report. He saw the older man's arm shoot up to grab onto the coffee cup and before Tobio could protest, Kuroo downed the contents of the cup.

"Ku-!"

Kuroo let out an exhale, head lifting from his arms and blinking blearily at the now empty cup in his hand. He sighed, tossing the empty cup back onto his desk. He turned to Tobio and let out a surprise laugh the moment he eyed the younger man.

"You look like someone killed your cat or something!" Kuroo wheezed.

Tobio frowned, before letting out an annoyed huff. "I do not," he muttered darkly, feeling the furrow of his eyebrows deepen. Kuroo snorted, flashing the younger man a mischievous smirk.

"Nah, you don't," he agreed, before leaning forward, eyes glinting and smile sly. "You look as if someone stole your precious person."

Tobio tried his best to maintain his expression, but there was no stopping the heat that crawled up his ears and cheeks. Kuroo waggled his eyebrows when he saw the red blooming on the younger man's skin.

"Oh ho?"

But his harassment was cut short when a slim brown folder landed on the top of his heard, and Sawamura was standing behind him, lips pulled to a frown.

"Stop teasing Kageyama, Kuroo," the shorter man chided and Tobio was thankful for the intervention. Kuroo hummed, pulling the folder from his hair and placing it on the table.

"It's all in good fun," he said easily and Tobio rolled his eyes. Sawamura gave the back of Kuroo's head a look of disappointment before shaking his head.

"Anyway, Kuroo," he said, beckoning to the folder on the desk with his chin. "Read that. We're going out once I'm done speaking with the chief."

Kuroo groaned. "Sawamura, my man, it’s almost the end of my shift. Surely you can settle this questioning alone..?"

Sawamura's flat stare did not waver under Kuroo's pleading and Tobio let out an amused huff when the taller man's hair slumped along with his shoulders.

"But I haven't seen Kei in a week!" he whined, but he grabbed the folder on his desk, flipping it open while Sawamura paid no heed to his partner as he made his way to the chief's office. Kuroo huffed and turned to Tobio.

"And this," he said to the younger man, his tone serious, expression sombre. "Is why Sawamura hasn't gotten laid in months."

Tobio choked on his own spit.

 

 

Tobio only managed to get back to work once Sawamura returned from the chief's office and all but hauled a whining Kuroo out of the station. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, the lack of caffeine in his system making him irritable. He looked through his report, taking note of the torn off logo from the Jane Doe's suicide note. He studied the notes from the other victims but found no other copy of the logo. He frowned, mentally filing his observation before looking through his reports once more.

The victims were all reported missing after the failed to return after a day. What was more, all of them were last seen at places they frequent. In their neighbourhoods, between school and home... His eyes landed on the empty coffee cup still on His desk.

Tobio paused, eyes widening at the thought that flashed in his mind. He stood up suddenly, scrambling to put the papers strewn all over his desk into the folders and pretty much ran to the chief's office.

He had a hunch, and it was as good enough of a lead for him.

 

 

 

Shouyou took a bite from the meat bun in his hand, sighing happily.

"The meatbun from the convenience store near here is the best!" He exclaimed over a mouthful of said meatbun, lips pulled wide towards the ends of his lips. He looked across the desk to Kenma, who was nibbling on his own bun Shouyou had bought for him, eyes glued to the screen of his smartphone. The medical office gave a minute nod in response but said nothing else. Shouyou didn't mind, he thought as he devoured the rest of his food before grabbing the coffee he had picked up as well.

His mind went to the image of Kageyama's surprised face at the sight of his giving a cup of coffee of his own and gave a let out an amused chuckle. Even after months of Shouyou buying the junior detective coffee, he still managed to look just as surprised every time. Shouyou realised he kind of enjoyed watching the dumbfounded expression on the taller man's face.

"What are you thinking about?"

Shouyou whipped his head round to face Kenma at the sound of friend's voice. The blond was chewing slowly on a piece of his bun, his free hand tucking his dyed blonde hair behind his ear, his gold eyes studying the intern intently. Shouyou cocked his head in confusion.

"What do you mean, Kenma?" He asked, staring into Kenma's unblinking wide eyes. The medical officer swallowed his food, before dropping his gaze back to his smartphone.

"Your expression," he began, his voice soft that Shouyou had to lean forward in his seat to catch what he was saying. "It was...," Kenma paused, before shaking his head slightly. "Never mind."

Shouyou blinked owlishly, confused. "Okay," he said eventually, shrugging and polishing off the last bits of his meat bun.

His phone rang.

 

 

 

Tobio rubbed his hand over his tired eyes, sighing deeply.

"Is everything alright, detective?"

The store manager's voice broke the silence handing over Tobio, startling him. He gave a start before turning to give the convenience store manager a nod of his head. The manager frowned, expression worried and biting his lower lip.

"Do you need anything else?"

Tobio almost jerked his head to say no, when a thought occurred. "Coffee, if that's okay," he grunted and manager nodded quickly, leaving the detective on his own in the back office. Tobio turned back to the surveillance footage he was watching from a week back.

Tobio hadn't really thought about it, what with the girls disappearing and bodies turning up in public parks - but seeing the coffee cup Hinata had bought him on his desk from the convenience store jolted a very obvious thought. Tokyo was littered with convenience stores. You could find them at almost every turn in any neighbourhood. Tobio had leapt out of his seat at his revelation, informed the chief he was going out and had gone into convenience stores between the latest victim's school and Yoyogi Park within a one kilometer radius. He hadn't had any luck, with employees shaking their head at the photo of the latest victim -- the petite girl named Kaoru-- Tobio had produced until he came upon the FamilyMart two streets away from her school.

The college-aged employee at the register barely took a glance before he nodded his head, his eyes flicking back to his smartphone Tobio knew was under the counter.

"She came by often after club activities," the employee had said. "Always bought a bottle of that strawberry yogurt drink girls seem to love nowadays."

Tobio had wasted no time in demanding to see the store manager and requesting to see the surveillance footage from two weeks back before her disappearance. She as not hard to miss, this Kaoru. Her bright eyes and freckled cheeks were prominent even on the grainy recording and Tobio noted she indeed came to the store alone on her way home almost every day. She would come in, give the college-aged employee a wave before heading to the drinks section. She didn't take long in choosing her drink before bringing it to the cashier to pay.

It was routine. She didn't stop to chat with any customers in the store, her ears covered by over-the-ear headphones most of the time. It wasn't until Tobio played the recording five days before her disappearance that Tobio saw a break in her routine.

Kaoru had entered the convenience store as per normal, giving the cashier a short wave before proceeding to the back of the store where the drinks were. Upon picking up the yogurt drink that a large figure loomed beside her. Tobio watched as the figure - a man, the detective deduced judging from the build of his shoulders and his looming height over the high school girl - bumped into her, causing her to drop the bottle. They scrambled for the dropped bottle before the man picked it up and handed it to her. Kaoru gave him a small smile, pulling her headphones off as they engaged in a short conversation before the victim went to pay for her drink. Tobio squinted, watched as when Kaoru left, the man hadn't moved from his position, the back of his head moving as he watched her.

The detective let out a shaky breath as he played the following day's recording. Minutes before Kaoru entered the store, a broad shouldered man stepped in, head down that his face wasn't visible to the camera. Tobio noted his dark hair, harshly combed with a side parting. The man walked to the back and stood out of sight just as Kaoru entered, in her school uniform, headphones on her ears. She picked up her drink and went straight to the cashier, not noticing the man lurking in the shadows. Tobio watched still, eyes unblinking, as the victim left the convenience store, the man stepped out from behind the shelves and then left the convenience store moments later.

The moment the man was out of sight, Tobio wasted no time lunging for the mouse to click on to the following days' recording. He watched, his blood pounding in his ears while his eyes were wide, as the man continued watching Kaoru from the shadows, only stepping out once she had left. He stood in a way where his face was never shown to the camera and Tobio furrowed his eyebrows as he commit the broad shoulders and parted hair to memory.

On the day of her disappearance, Kaoru entered the store as usual, bought her drink and left. The man wasn't in. Tobio frowned, before deciding on a whim to see the footage an hour or two before Kaoru entered.

The man entered.

Tobio held his breath, watching the man saunter to the magazine aisle, his back always to the camera. His stood there for most of the duration before finally walking out, not buying a single thing in the store. Tobio paused and looked at the time stamp; the man left fifteen minutes before the victim entered. The detective leaned back against the plastic chair, letting out a long breath as his mind worked furiously.

The man had begun coming to the convenience store every day for a week before the victim's disappearance. He ducked his head and never let his face be exposed to the surveillance cameras. Tobio ran a hand through his hair, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth.

There was no doubt about it. This man was a suspect.

"Your coffee, detective."

Tobio jolted with a start at the sound of the manager's face. He turned and accepted the much-forgotten coffee with a mumble of thanks before taking a big gulp. The manager was watching him with wide eyes, framed behind thick glasses.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" The manager asked and Tobio nodded.

"I need to ask your employee a few questions," Tobio said, gesturing to the college-aged employee leaning lazily at the cashier. The manager nodded quickly, standing up to speak to the teen.

The teen came in after a moment, expression bored, but posture stiff with nerves. Tobio cleared his throat, putting the remaining coffee on the table and gesturing the teen to sit on the other plastic chair available.

"I just need to ask a few question, Mr...?" Tobio trailed off, pulling out a notepad and a pen to not a few things down.

"Hayato," the teen replied, sitting on the chair, back ramrod straight. Tobio nodded absentmindedly before gesturing at the monitor where it recording was paused with man at the magazine racks.

"Do you recognise this man?" Tobio asked and Hayato leaned forward, squinting at the grainy image with a frown.

"I think so," Hayato shrugged. "I don't really pay close attention to customers unless they’re right in front of me."

Tobio nodded, taking down what the teen was saying on the notepad. "I noticed this man has been visiting the store since a week before the victim's disappearance, never buying anything."

"That explains why I don't remember much about him," Hayato said casually, leaning back into the seat, more at ease now.

Tobio chose to ignore the last statement. "I also noticed he's had his back to the store camera during his visits, so I can't get a look of his face. Could you perhaps describe some prominent features of the man?"

The teen scrunched his nose in thought, a hand rubbing at the stubble underneath his jaw. Tobio tried to ignore the dirt and grime that were caught under the teen's long fingernails, focusing on his face instead.

"He didn't have anything that stands out," Hayato began, His eyes having a faraway gaze to them. "Pretty average looking, wouldn't look twice at him." Tobio felt his shoulder sag at the blasé comment.

"He licks his lips a lot though, and he has a long tongue."

Tobio looked at the teen in the eye, an eyebrow raised. Of all the things to notice... "Are you positive?"

Hayato nodded. "Yeah," he said. "I only remember it because he reminded me of an animal."

Tobio raised both eyebrows, leaning in his seat as he regarded the younger man. "What did he remind you of?"

"It's kinda weird, I know," the younger man conceded, before he locked gazes with the detective.

"But he reminded me of a snake."

 

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember when I say that I'll update this bi-weekly? Haha.. Ha. Ha.  
> Here's a longer than usual chapter as compensation.
> 
> Writer's block is not fun at all. I'm going to look for crime fiction shows and books for inspiration.

Thin, arched eyebrows. Sharp, slanted eyes. A pointed nose. A thin lip stretched wide across a thin face. Short, trimmed hair harshly parted to the side.

Tobio eyed the artist sketch of the suspect intently. The sketch was done by the station's criminal sketch artist, who had questioned Hayato and another convenience store employee on the suspect's features. The detective scrunched his nose in distaste; even through a sketch, the man did resemble a snake. He put aside the sketch and turned to his computer, saving his recent report. He would have to sit in with the chief and send out the artist sketch of the suspect to all the convenience stores in greater Tokyo before he was done for the day.

"Good work today."

Tobio looked up and nodded at Kuroo, who smirked and sat at the seat beside him. The younger man eyed Kuroo wearily; his messy hair was messier today, like he didn't even bother attempting to fix it, and his gold eyes were dimmer, framed by dark circles.

"Are you alright?" Tobio asked, internally cringing at his unintentionally harsh tone. Kuroo didn't seem to mind, for he flashed the younger man a small smile before sighing loudly.

"Kageyama," he said, rubbing a hand on his face as he leaned back in his seat, letting his head hang. "Have you ever been in love?"

Tobio sat and stared unblinkingly at Kuroo for a few moments as the question sink in. "...Huh?"

"Well?"

Tobio furrowed his eyebrows, confused at the unexpected question that came out of nowhere. His mouth hung agape, as he willed his blank mind to come up with something to say. The silence stretched a little longer than either liked, as Kuroo groaned and waved a flippant hand at Tobio. "Don’t mind," he said, sighing and looked up at the ceiling. Tobio stared at him for another moment before shaking his head and turning back to his work.

Sawamura came into the station a good ten minutes later.

"Hey," he greeted Tobio, smiling as the younger man greeted back. His kind brown eyes landed on his partner who was still sprawled on the chair and his lips pulled to a frown. "What's up with him?"

Tobio shrugged, eyes not leaving his work. "Something about love," he said nonchalantly and Sawamura raised an eyebrow.

"Huh," the older man breathed out and Kuroo chose that moment to lift his head and stare at his partner with a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Not that you'll understand, Sawamura, since you haven't gotten laid in forever."

Sawamura promptly slapped the back of Kuroo's head, the tips of his ears red. Tobio snorted softly as the two older detectives bickered, gathering his things on his table to prepare his sit-in with the chief. Just then, a familiar voice called out to Sawamura and Tobio's vision was blocked by a mop of orange hair.

"Daichi-san!" Hinata chirped, eyes wide and lips curled to a grin. He thrusted out the stack of folders he was carrying towards Sawamura excitedly. "I've finished organising the notes like you've told me to!"

Sawamura blinked before breaking out a small smile, picking up the folders from the intern who was practically vibrating on the spot. "Thanks, Hinata. Good work."

The shorter man positively beamed under the praise and Tobio felt as though he was staring directly at the sun. He scowled and shifted out of the way as Hinata continued talking to Sawamura.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Sawamura hummed and Tobio caught his eyes just as the older detective parted his lips. "I'm good, but you can help Kageyama out."

Tobio froze, whirling to stare at Sawamura with wide eyes. The older detective didn't bat an eye, his smile on his face still. Hinata, too, turned to blink owlishly at him before a small smile appeared on his lips. Tobio felt his heart skip.

"Shall I help you with those reports?" The intern pointed at the stack of papers in Tobio's arms which he needed for his meeting with the chief.

Caught off-guard, Tobio jerked backwards when Hinata stretched a hand out. "I-it's fine! I can do it myself-"

But the fallen look on Hinata's face did wonders to his flipping stomach and Tobio had to take a deep breath, grit his teeth before moving towards the intern and dumping the files in his hands. He heard a snicker from the watching Kuroo and felt the back of his neck grow warm.

"Follow me, dumbass!" He blurted out a little too loudly, before turning on his heel towards the chief's office. Hinata seemed to have recovered, shouting a pleasant "okay!" From behind as he tried to keep up with the detective. Tobio snuck a glance at Hinata the moment he was by his side and wished he hadn't - Hinata's smile was bright and his eyes shone with excitement. They locked gazes for a mere second before Tobio tore his eyes away, willing his heartbeat to slow down.

"Hey, Kageyama."

Tobio risked another glance at the intern, whose brown eyes soften once they locked gazes once again. "Thanks for letting me help out," he said and Tobio swallowed, nodding his head jerkily. They didn't say anything anymore once Tobio rapped his knuckles against the chief's door and entered.

 

 

 

It was dark out when Tobio and Hinata stepped out of the chief's office.

The meeting had gone on longer than expected, the chief's attention unwavering as Tobio reported his latest findings on the case. He could feel Hinata's eyes on him throughout the entire time, his gaze burning the skin on cheeks and ears. But even then, the detective was unfaltering in his work, taking out report after report to show the chief before finally sliding the artist sketch of the suspect to the older man.

The chief eyed the portrait critically, his lips pulled to a frown. "Good work," he told Tobio, sliding the sketch back to him. "Have Kindaichi send this out to the convenience stores in the greater Tokyo region -- the more people are alerted about this, the better chance we have at nabbing the bastard. Put this up in our portal as well so that our officers are aware of him."

Tobio had nodded, back ramrod straight at the unexpected praise. "Yes, sir," he replied, standing up. "I'll be taking my leave now."

The chief nodded before his eyes fell on Hinata who was seated at the back of the room, buzzing in excitement. He raised an eyebrow. "Get Chibi-chan to help you as well. He could learn some things from this."

The intern squeaked at being addressed. "Y-yes!" He stammered, and Tobio turned to find him standing up, eyes bright and cheeks red. Tobio nodded back at the chief before the two left his office.

"Kageyama."

Hinata's voice broke Tobio out of his reverie and he turned to find the shorter man smiling cheekily at him. "Looks like we'll be working together. Please take care of me," he said, smile wide.

Tobio could feel the flush of red spreading his cheeks. Annoyed, he grabbed the intern's head, ruffling his hair viciously.

"What- Get- off! Kageyama!" Noises of protests were muffled under his palm but they were hardly serious; Tobio could hear the faintest of laughter at the end of his words. Smirking, he gave the intern one last ruffle to his head before letting go.

"Dumbass, don't act like a big short when you're just shadowing me," he said flatly as he walked towards his desk, throwing the folders down the moment he was near enough. He heard Hinata let out a chime of a laugh from behind and couldn't help the slight upward pull at the edges of his own lips.

"Still, it’s more exciting than sorting paperwork every day!" Hinata exclaimed and Tobio found himself nodding absently as he cleared his desk for the day. He didn't hear footsteps behind him before the blur of orange appeared right in front of him, sitting on the top of his desk, a cheeky grin still on place. "Anyway!" He began again staring at Tobio intently. "You’re off work now right?"

Tobio nodded, his eyes flitting momentarily towards the roster tacked at the nearest wall.

"It's my day off as well tomorrow."

Hinata beamed. "Great! Me too!" He said, jumping off the desk and looking up to Tobio. "Come join me and my friends for drinks tonight!"

The offer was came out of nowhere and Tobio only stared at Hinata blankly for a few moment, mouth parted in surprise. But the expectant look on the intern's face shook him out of his stupor as he struggled to say something. "I-wh-huh?"

_'Real smooth, Tobio,'_ he cringed internally.

Hinata didn't seemed to mind, for he fixed his brown eyes expectantly at Tobio's face. The detective swallowed thickly, his mind now working in overdrive. Truthfully he had planned on taking it easy after his shift, perhaps settle down in front of his television at home with a can of beer in his hand. He rarely drank with people; due to his hectic shift work, he hadn't met up with his university friends in ages and nobody at the station would even think about inviting him for drinks (Sawamura and Kuroo tried at times, but their schedules tended to not match more than half the time.)

He didn't realise he had been zoning out in front of Hinata until the intern was waving a hand slowly in his line of sight. "Hello? Kageyama-kun?"

Tobio started, slapping Hinata's hand away, who yelped in surprise. He shook his head, scoffing. "I'll pass," he mumbled, hands acting busy shuffling the papers on his desk around and his eyes not meeting Hinata's. His one-time refusal would normally discourage others from persuading him further, but Tobio had realised that Hinata was not like the others.

The shorter man pouted ( _‘cute,’_ Tobio's mind supplied unconsciously) and flailed his arms around. "No!" He said, determined. "You’re free tonight so we are going out!"

Tobio could feel himself falter, before he righted himself. "Your friends wouldn't like me barging," he tried feeding the intern this excuse but Hinata merely shook his head, swooping down to grab Tobio's coat from his chair and grabbing the taller man by the elbow.

"They won't mind one bit! In fact, one of them is going out with a senior detective here! So they'll be alright with you tagging along," Hinata said with so much conviction that Tobio gave up fighting and let him drag him out to the cool spring night.

 

 

 

They arrived at the Crow's Nest less than an hour later, sighing at warmer interior as compared to the chilly winds outside. Tobio took this moment to look around. The bar was small, quaint with comfy chairs clustered around. Groups of people were huddled together, relaxing after a hard day's worth of work and he felt his own shoulders relax.

"Hinata!"

The two of them turned at the sound of a familiar voice and saw a man waving at them, accompanied by two blonde companions. The man and Tobio locked gazes for a second before recognition sets in.

"Ah!" The man yelled, standing up to point at Tobio. His eyes gleamed in excitement and his lips was stretched to a wide smile across his freckled face. "Kageyama! What a surprise!"

Tobio nodded dumbly, too stunned to look composed. He saw the blonde man at the table snicker in his direction. "Long time no see, Yamaguchi," he nodded at the freckled man before turning his attention to the tall, bespectacled blonde, his lips twisted into a frown. "Tsukishima."

"King," Tsukishima Kei sneered before turning to Hinata. "I didn't realise you meant His Majesty when you mentioned bringing colleagues."

But Hinata didn't pay attention to him. He spun round to stare at Tobio with wide eyes. "You know them?"

The detective nodded. "We went to university together," he said before asking, "How do you know them?"

"I was roommates with Yachi-san before she moved in with Yamaguchi."

At that, the tiny blonde woman sitting beside Yamaguchi gave a wave. Tobio realised he recognised her from the times he hung out with Yamaguchi during university. He nodded at her before Hinata pulled him over to the booth, giving Yachi a tight hug before sitting next to her. The only seat left was opposite him and beside Tsukishima; Tobio grimaced before sliding into the seat. Tsukishima gave him a side glance, sneer still in place.

"You look like shit."

"Fuck you too," Tobio muttered just loud enough for the blond to hear and before an argument could arise between them, Hinata stood up.

"I'll go get the beers," he said excitedly, grabbing a smiling Yachi by the hand and headed to the bar. Yamaguchi grinned after them before turning to Tobio, eyes bright.

"So!" He said, leaning forward with his elbows on the table. "How have you been?"

Tobio shrugged. "Busy. I'm handling an ongoing case right now." His let his eyes wander to the bar, letting them land on the back of Hinata's head, who was talking animatedly with the shaved head bartender.

"I'm not surprised. You've been blowing us off for drinks for months now. I think the last time we saw you was before your birthday."

"And yet, you came here today after being persuaded by that wild child," Tsukishima cut in suddenly, his tone mocking and Tobio whipped his head towards him with a glare. It didn't deter the blond, in fact, it made his sneer widen.

"What's this? Is the King blushing?" He asked jeeringly and Tobio belatedly felt the burn in his cheeks and the tip of his ears.

"Am not," he said petulantly, scowling so hard that Tsukishima let out an airy laugh.

"I beg to differ, Your Majesty. I didn't realise you harbour such feelings towards that thing. Gross."

Yamaguchi decided it was time to step in. "But it's a good thing, yeah?" He asked Tobio placatingly after shooting a glare at his best friend. "You're finally moving on, right?"

The hesitant tone in his question made Tobio still. Looking at Yamaguchi's soft, concerned expression made his throat dry. He let his eyes drop to stare at the wooden table, thinking hard on what to say but Tsukishima spoke in his usual biting tone.

"It's been years already. You're still hung up on it?"

Tobio felt a wave of irritation wash over him. Swallowing thickly, he glared at Tsukishima. "I spoke to Kuroo-san today," he said, intending to change the topic. It worked thankfully, for Tsukishima raised an eyebrow.

"Of course you did. You work together."

The detective ignored the sarcasm. "He was acting weird, talking about love and such."

There was a pause before Tsukishima pushed up his glasses and looked away. "And I care because?"

Tobio huffed, leaning back in his seat. "I thought you'd want to know if your boyfriend's acting weird."

The blonde rolled his eyes. "Kuroo-san is a sap."

"I'm surprised someone like you could love someone that isn't extinct."

There was a snort from in front of him and the two of them stared at Yamaguchi who was doubled over, his hand over his mouth in a failed attempt to stifle his laughter. Tsukishima bristled, his ears red.

"Shut up, Yamaguchi."

"S-sorry, Tsukki," his friend gasped.

Their conversation was cut short with Hinata and Yachi bouncing back, hands full with beer bottles that they passed around. Sliding into the seat opposite Tobio, Hinata laughed and joked with his friends, catching up on the latest happenings and retelling some memorable things that had happened at work.

"--and Kenma was so cool, like, he could hold onto the dead guy's heart without flinching and Kuroo-san would be retching at the back--"

His eyes shone with excitement as he told his story, gesturing wildly to emphasise his point. His cheeks held a rosy hue, either from the beer or excitement, Tobio couldn't tell, but he watched the shorter man, occasionally taking sips of his beer.

"You're staring too much," An amused voice whispered into his ear. Tobio started, sloshing some of his beer onto the table top. Hinata stopped talking abruptly, his eyes on the detective curiously.

"Are you okay, Kageyama-kun?"

Tobio nodded fervently as he tried to elbow Tsukishima as subtly as he could. It didn't have the effect he wanted for the blonde didn't budge and inch, snickering lightly in his hand. Hinata didn't seem to be convinced and continued to study him. Tobio squirmed under the weight of the stare and abruptly stood up.

"It's getting late," he said, averting his eyes from the rest. "I need to go."

"But--"

"It is getting late though," Yachi chimed in, turning to face Hinata. "You’re staying the night with us right, Hinata? Your room is still unoccupied."

That distracted the intern from Tobio, turning to face Yachi and Yamaguchi in confirmation. Tsukishima took one last swig of his beer before he stood up as well, shrugging on his coat.

"Let’s go."

Everyone chimed their agreement, leaving the bar (but not before Hinata yelled an enthusiastic goodbye to the bartenders) and into the cold night. Tobio shivered slightly, pressing his face into his collar of his coat. He could see Hinata from the corner of his eyes, shivering from the cold and the redness of his cheeks blooming bigger across his face.

As Yamaguchi, Yachi and Hinata would be taking the bus at the opposite direction from the train station, the group said their goodbyes before Tobio trudged along Tsukishima towards the station. As they always have walked together in silence on more than one occasion, Tobio was mildly surprised when the blond was the first to say something just as the station was in sight.

"Are you going to tell him?"

To any random person, the question seemed vague enough to prompt for more details but the detective knew who he was talking about. Squaring his shoulders, Tobio thought about Hinata's sunny smile and then back to the empty dark apartment from years ago. He shook his head slowly.

"It wouldn't work out," he mumbled, eyes fixed straight ahead.

And it wouldn't. His previous relationship had soured in due time and ended badly; he remembered not getting out of bed for almost a week before Yamaguchi barged in with the spare key. He was sure Tsukishima was remembering the same event for he didn't say anything else.

_It's better this way,_ Tobio thought.

 

 

 

Hinata sighed as he sank back into the plushy sofa at Yamaguchi and Yachi's home. He had been on his feet almost the whole day at work and it was only then that he realised how tired he was. Yamaguchi looked at him as he walked to the kitchen, and grinned.

"You look ready to pass out, Hinata," he said to which the intern laughed.

"Good thing it's my day off tomorrow," he said lightly as he stretched on the sofa. Yamaguchi laughed and began pouring drinks for the two of them. Hinata sighed, letting his eyes wander around the living room. It had been a while since he had visited their place and everything looked almost the same as it had before. The only things that were different were the desk full of photographs at the corner.

Pulling himself off the sofa, Hinata curiously looked through the photographs. He saw those recent ones of the couple but also those older ones with different groups of people. He spied Tsukishima in a few of those photographs, his face neutral in most of them. Ultimately his eyes landed on the frame at the back of the pack. Yamaguchi was younger in it, possibly during college time. He was with a group of friends, Tsukishima included. But that wasn't what drew Hinata in.

Right at the back of the group photo, with piercing blue eyes and a stiff smile stood Kageyama. His face was rounder, where the baby fats were still stubbornly clinging to him and his hair was styled just like today, straight and neat. But he looked different- happier, Hinata would say, as if the dark cloud that hung over the current detective hasn't appeared that time.

"Here, water,” Yamaguchi appeared at his side. Hinata smiled and thanked him, taking a tentative sip of the warm water.

"Hey, Yamaguchi?"

The freckled man looked at him questioningly but Hinata's eyes were still fixed on the image of young Tobio. "How was Kageyama in college?"

Yamaguchi cocked his head but didn't ask questions. Instead, he hummed thoughtfully, trying to think of what to say.

"I guess... He was less intense?"

Hinata laughed and the two of them sat back on the sofa.

"Well, aside from the exam periods, he was pretty much the same. He got into university on a sports scholarship for volleyball.”

Hinata sat up straighter. "Volleyball?" he asked curiously and Yamaguchi nodded.

"He was one of the best in the prefecture. Talented guy, he was always eager to learn. There was no doubt he would go pro," the man paused for a while, now hesitating. "A few months after first year started, Kageyama started going out with an upperclassman teammate. They had known each other during middle school but I remember him saying they never had a good relationship."

"But Kageyama was the happiest then. The two of them trained together after practices and hung out all the time. I barely remembered seeing Kageyama without him during out first year. “He then frowned, "But it all went wrong during Year Two."

"What happened?" Hinata asked. Yamaguchi to a large gulp of his drink, sighing softly.

"In Year Two, the guy took a nasty fall during practice. I know Kageyama's intense, but this guy was even more so. He basically taught Kageyama volleyball in middle school."

"Apparently he worn out his bad knee so much that he could no longer play competitive volleyball. He was pulled off the team."

Hinata frowned. "But it's not Kageyama’s fault," he said to which Yamaguchi nodded in agreement.  
"It’s not, but they two of them were rivals as they were lovers. So the guy was bitter about his injury and focused on his Law Degree. Kageyama ultimately quit the team."

"Kageyama had always admired him since young. He always said he was one of the best players he'd known and strived to defeat him. But he was also in love with the guy. When he went to focus on his Law degree, Kageyama thought how he'd like working together in the future and quit the team. But he was on scholarship so soon after, he dropped out of university and enrolled into the Police Academy."

Hinata's eyes widened at that. Kageyama had always come off as standoffish at first, but he was very dedicated in whatever he does. To hear that the detective would quit something he loved for someone else left a weird lurch in his stomach. He felt sick when he asked his next question. "...and then what happened?”

Yamaguchi's thoughtful expression transformed into one of cold fury and Hinata felt a shiver of fear run up his spine. In all the years he's known the freckled man, he had never seen him seriously angry.

"That bastard," The freckled man spat out, his tone dropping a notch, "Didn't like the way Kageyama excelled in the Academy - he may be weak towards examination based stuff but he's excellent on the field. Kageyama graduated within the year. He, on the other hand, failed his first bar exam. "

Yamaguchi paused a moment, his jaw set so firmly Hinata swore he was grinding his teeth. He was tense all over; from his stiffened spine to his white knuckles around the glass of water. Hinata dared not breathe.

"So," he continued, his voice wavering a bit in anger. "He dumped Kageyama the night he graduated from the Academy. Just left the apartment they shared. "

"I went to the house after Kageyama was uncontactable for a week to find that he hasn't left his bed since that night. It was horrible, Hinata," Yamaguchi sighed, tension leaving his body. "I really wanted to go up to the guy and give him a piece of my mind but Kageyama stopped me. He continued with his job, carrying on with his life as usual but there was something different. "

"Like some dark weight weighing on his shoulders, something he couldn't really let go of."

With that, the freckled leaned back against the sofa, apparently done with his story. Neither men moved -- Yamaguchi staring at the cup of lukewarm water in his hands and Hinata staring at him. They let the moment passed by them for a moment before the freckled man stood up and headed towards the desk. He opened a drawer, taking out a photo before handing it to Hinata.

"I found this when I was cleaning up my things from college," he explained, looking at the photo with a conflicting expression. "I didn't know if I should give it back to Kageyama."

Hinata took the photo wordlessly and studied it.

It was a photo of the university's college team, all decked in their uniforms and posing for photo. Hinata spied Kageyama almost immediately, with his blue eyes staring straight into the camera, wide and bright. His lips formed an awkward smile that was almost endearing and he was leaning his body weight against the person beside him. Hinata took a moment to study the other person.

Tall and broad, he had one arm slung over Kageyama and another posed into the V sign by his face. He was good-looking, with fair skin and big brown eyes. His styled brown hair shone in the harsh lighting of the gym where the picture was taken but he looked relaxed. Hinata barely heard Yamaguchi's disgusted snort before he pointed to the good-looking man.

"That’s him,” he simply said and the two were silent for another moment. Hinata took one more look at the man's smug face, posing away and holding onto Kageyama, so innocent and happy in the photo. He felt his something squeezing the insides of his chest, an uncomfortable feeling as he thought about the young and happy Kageyama and then to the present, cynical, overworking detective.

He didn't know why, but his first thoughts during the stretch of silence between the two men in the living room, staring at the old photograph in his hand was:

_"I want to see him smile again."_

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on [tumblr](http://forever-wonder2.tumblr.com/) if you wanna talk to me about anything Haikyuu!!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on [tumblr](http://forever-wonder2.tumblr.com/) if you wanna talk to me about anything Haikyuu!!

Tobio's eyes snapped open. 

He blinked for a few moments, feeling oddly awake. The sun was up, filtering light through his thin, white curtains. It must be close to noon, he deduced from the brightness of his room. It was only after another moment that he realised the reason for his abrupt waking.

His phone was buzzing, its vibration hard against the wood of his bedside table. Rolling over quickly, Tobio squinted at the screen to see the caller -- Akaashi -- before picking it up.

"Akaashi-san?" His voice was dry from sleep, but lacked usual sleepy mumble.  He could hear chattering from the other end but it wasn't echoing-- the older man must be outside.

"Hello, Kageyama," he greeted, "I hope I didn't wake you."

"Not at all," Tobio assured him, sitting up on bed and ran a hand through his hair.  "What is this regarding?"

He heard someone calling for Akaashi in the background. They spoke in muffled tones, where Tobio couldn't make out a word before Akaashi's voice was clear again through the line.

"There's been another case," he said and Tobio felt his stomach drop.  "We need you down here."

Tobio wasted no time.  Leaping off his bed, he headed straight to his bathroom.

"I'm on my way."

 

 

 

In the deepest parts of Shinjuku National Garden, hidden behind the big greenhouse, a flurry of activity was happening. A large portion of the section was taped off with police tape, with several uniformed men milling around. Passers-by and tourists alike looked on curiously but no one dared to come near enough to see anything.

Tobio arrived half an hour later. By then the sun was high up in the air, its heat penetrating although the breeze that blew across the land was cooling.  He ducked under the tapings, nodding slightly in greetings to several officers before he spotted Akaashi at the corner. 

"Akaashi-san," he greeted as he walked up to the other detective. Akaashi, who had just ended a phone call, nodded back in greeting before leading them deeper to the back, where it is obscured by the large greenhouse and away from the prying eyes of the public.

"One of the staff working at the greenhouse called in," Akaashi began.  "He saw her from inside the greenhouse in the morning but didn't think much of it until later when he realised she hasn't moved in over three hours." He stopped walking and Tobio peeked over his shoulder to find the body lying motionless on the ground.

Skin pale and blue, Tobio noted the victim this time round was slightly older-- probably college-aged.  Her face was round, with baby fats stubbornly clinging onto her smooth cheeks, strands of pale, blond hair covering her forehead and fanned out behind her.  She was laid on the ground as though relaxed in her sleep, but the bright red wounds on her wrists told a different story. Slowly, Tobio took in the rest of her. She was wearing a strapless, maroon dress with a bubble skirt, something totally inappropriate for the chilly spring weather. The dress stopped just above her knees and black slacks covered the remaining of her exposed skin till it reached a pair of black, shiny Mary Janes.  Tobio let his eyes drag up the body till it rested on her neck.  It was bare from any accessories, save for a tell-tale sign of bruising on the sides of her neck, stark against her blue skin.

"Have the victim been ID'ed?" Tobio asked, pulling on a pair of latex gloves he had brought along before crouching next to the body to study the bruising more closely. There was no smell of rotting flesh nearby,  meaning this girl must've have died recently, probably sometime last night or early this morning, and the cold night had slowed down the decomposition process. 

"Not yet," Akaashi replied, his eyes on his phone, a frown on his thin lips. "I've tried checking the missing persons list, to see if anyone had been reported missing around this area within the last week but she didn't turn up."

Tobio grunted in acknowledgement, frowning at the slight deviation. So far, the MO fits with the serial killer profile Tobio had built; a petite young woman found in a secluded part of a park in Greater Tokyo, dressed in a brand new outfit, with big, red slashes on her wrists. But this time, the victim hadn't been reported missing yet, which suggested that she hasn't been gone for more than twenty-four hours and the bruises on her neck told a different story. His mind landed on the previous last victim, Kaoru, who was found with a plastic bag over her head. He let his eyes wander to the victim's hands, curled loosely by her sides. There were no bits of papers in them.

He raised an eyebrow. "Any suicide notes?" He asked, standing up to look at Akaashi. There was a slight hesitance in the other detective's expression before he nodded curtly.

"Forensics have taken it after they've photographed the body," he began slowly, tapping on his phone to open his photo gallery. "They'll get back to us on the results soon but..," he trailed off, glancing once at Tobio before handing his phone to him. "... You should take a look."

Tobio took the phone apprehensively, and studied the photo.

It was a torn piece of lined paper, similar to the ones of the previous victims. A simple line stood out in blue ink.

_Goodbye cruel world._

Tobio frowned, trying to see if there was anything meaning to it that allowed for Akaashi's hesitation but he could not come up with anything. "That's it?" he asked the older man, unable to fully keep the disappointment from his voice. The other detective locked gazes with Tobio before slowly moving his head sideways.

"Swipe to the next photo."

There was something grim in Akaashi's expression that made Tobio not question him. He looked down on the phone once again and swiped left.

His eyes widened.

On the piece of torn paper not unlike the first photo's, laid a line of blue ink in a messy scrawl.

_Catch me if you can, detective._

Tobio could hear his blood thumping loudly in his ears as he looked up to Akaashi, his frown more pronounced.

"Any witnesses?"

Akaashi gave a slow nod. "The staff at the Okido Gate said they saw a man entering the park a few minutes after it opened.  He was pushing a wheelchair with the woman," he said, gesturing to the body. "They didn't get a good look of his face; wore a surgical mask and his hat was tipped forward."

"And they didn't see that something was wrong with the woman?" Tobio asked incredulously, gesturing at the dead body once again. 

Akaashi sighed, clearly as annoyed as Tobio about the lack of vigilance from the gates. "They thought she was asleep.  She had a big sunhat and had a thick blanket draped over her body."

Tobio pinched the bridge of his nose. "Did anyone see him leave?"

"I got some men to question the staff at the other two gates but no one seemed to notice a heavily clothed man leaving with an empty wheelchair."

Tobio sighed, eyeing the body before looking at Akaashi. "Do you think there's a possibility he's still in the park, Akaashi-san?" he asked as his mind whirred. The other two gates were quite a distance away. Tobio estimated no more than forty-five minutes for the suspect to flee the park from the Sendagaya gate, the one across the park. But then again, what about the wheelchair?

Akaashi looked in deep thought as well, before shaking his head. "It's been three hours since the park opened," he said, plucking his phone out of Tobio's hand and staring at it absentmindedly. "If it were me, I would give it half an hour more at least and then leave before the police arrive.”

"What about the wheelchair?”

The other detective frowned in thought, the focused look on his face making Tobio stand up straighter. "He could dump it," Akaashi said slowly, "in one of the bigger lakes here--"

Just then his phone rang.

Startled, both detective stared at the vibrating phone in Akaashi's hand before he picked it up. There was a brief tense moment when Akaashi listened to the voice on the other end before ending the call, the furrow of his eyebrows deeper than a minute again.

"They've found the wheelchair and his coat," he said slowly. "In the lake."

Tobio sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "What are the chances of us getting prints from it?"

The other detective locked at the body once again before paramedics came over and covered it and looked at Tobio with a look of resignation.

"Very low."

Tobio cursed.

 

 

* * *

 

 

His smile grew wider with every police car leaving Shinjuku National Garden. The sense of satisfaction he received from one-upping the law enforcers sent a shiver down his spine, the spark of excitement he hasn't felt since his teenage years. It was fun, playing this game, leaving bread crumbs for the police to find. He spotted two plain clothed men exiting after the uniformed officers, talking in low voices, expression serious. _Detectives._

He felt a bout of laughter threatening to crawl up his throat.

When he first saw the crude artist sketch of himself partially obscured at the back wall of the counter in a Lawson’s convenience store, he had wanted to laugh. He wasn't scared. He was too smart to leave any obvious trails to connect him to the string of murders. But he couldn't help leaving the note for the detective. To brag to him, to say _"Hey look! Look at the pile of bodies and look at your incompetence!”;_ that childish streak in him couldn't be contained at the last moments when he was placing the finishing touches dear Mikoto before they left the house.

Ah, Mikoto.

Her long, blonde hair had caught his attention almost immediately. It was easy tailing her last night from the FamilyMart to her apartment near the university. She barely paid any attention to her surroundings when she walked, eyes forever glued to her damn smartphone. She only had herself to blame, he felt, when he had grabbed her the moment she turned into the empty alleyway,  hand pressing the chloroform filled cloth over her mouth. He didn't take his time with her, like he had always did with the others, deciding to complete his masterpiece that night itself.

No one had noticed the dead girl in the wheelchair throughout the journey. He sneered under his mask at the ignorance of people nowadays, too engrossed with their own things to pay attention to their surroundings. But it made his work infinitely easier without suspicious eyes watching.

He was brought out of his thoughts as the last of the cars left the area by the garden. Tourists and locals alike watched their trail until the cars disappeared before they got back to their own life. He snorted, walking away from the tree he had been sitting under towards the train station. Now he had to plan his next moves carefully, to continue leaving the bread crumbs with no apparent destination.

Perhaps he should give it a few days before he struck again, he thought as he climbed the steps down to the JR station.  He turned the corner where the convenience store stood when someone bumped into him. He leaned back to find a small, petite girl leaping back and giving him frantic bows of apology.  He took the time to study her.

She was young, probably around Mikoto's age but it was hard to gauge with her small frame.  Her short blond hair was styled in a bob, with a portion tied up by a pair of star-shaped hair tie. While not wholly beautiful like Mikoto, she was endearingly cute.  He could feel the familiar shiver of excitement running down his spine.

Lips split to a thin smile, he gave a light laugh. "There’s No need to apologise, Miss...?" he trailed off, waiting for the girl to introduce herself.

And she did, this gullible one.  Her face was bright red still when she lifted it up, and he could see the flecks of hazel in her brown eyes.  "Y-Yachi Hitoka! I apologise once again!" she exclaimed before giving another bow.

He didn't let his smile leave his face.  Giving another airy laugh, he assured her that he was fine.  It was only after his third attempt at placating her did she calm down and stood up straight.  He eyed her down, taking in the denim dungarees she was wearing and paired with white chucks.  He could click his tongue in disapproval if he could but decided against it, for his eyes landed on the big A2 folder and was carrying with her.

"Are you a design student?" he asked curiously, smiling still.  She was flustered for a while before she stammered her reply.

"An alumni at Keio University...  I'm currently helping out with a booth till this weekend."

He could almost leap with joy at her response. So easy...  He didn't even have to coax anything out of her. To be so trusting of strangers, he imagined dragging her away from the lighted pathways would be an easy ordeal.

He couldn't get anything else from her however, as he phone rang.  Startled, she read the message before gathering her things.

"I have to go! I'm sorry about before!" she babbled, giving him a quick bow.  He gave her a small wave.

"I'll see you again, Hitoka-chan, " he said and Yachi,  having not catch the ominous meaning to his words flashed he another smile before leaving.

He stood there in front if the convenience store for a moment, watching her until she disappeared from sight. His blood thrummed in his veins and his stomach coiled in anticipation. He turned away and caught sight of his reflection by the glass of the store.  Grinning, he drew his tongue to lick his bottom lip as if he could taste victory on them.

Walking to the train platform, he eagerly waited for the day he could get his hands on dear Hitoka.

 

 

* * *

 

 

> **DEAD BODY FOUND IN SHINJUKU NATIONAL GARDEN**
> 
> The body of a teenage girl was found at Shinjuku National Garden earlier today, Fukurodani Times reported. The girl, who has not been identified, was found by a staff member by the greenhouse a few hours after the park opened.
> 
> The girl was found in weather inappropriate attire with wounds on her wrists in an apparent case of suicide.
> 
> Similar cases has been found within the past few months. Last month, Suzumeda Kaori, 18, was found dead in.... 
> 
> Police has declined to comment if the cases are related. Investigations are ongoing.
> 
>  

 

Tobio frowned, tearing his eyes from the news site he was reading to lean in his seat. He hadn't expected the press to get wind of the serial killing case, although it was about time. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose where he could feel a headache oncoming.

"Good work today."

He looked up to find Hinata standing over him, a shy smile in place and a cup of coffee offered to him. Tobio took the cup gratefully, giving the intern a small smile. "Thanks," he said and Hinata beamed as he pulled a chair over to sit beside the detective.

"What're you reading?" he asked, taking his own cup of coffee in his hand, blowing lightly at the surface of the steaming liquid. Tobio merely gestured at his monitor and Hinata took it as an invitation to lean over the detective to read the article. Tobio shifted slightly so leave some semblance of space between them but Hinata was pressed so close to his side he was afraid the intern could hear his rapid heartbeat.

It had been three weeks since the night out with Hinata and his friends and – he didn’t know if it was for better or for worse – things stayed the same between them. But sometimes, Tobio wasn’t sure if he imagined it, he would turn to find the intern giving him a smile fonder than it had been before, a knowing expression behind those brown eyes. Not knowing how to approach Hinata about it, Tobio had decided to remain silent and pretended he hadn’t noticed the increased frequency of the intern buying him coffee, nor the light brushes against his shoulder and the back of his hand. He busied himself with his coffee, taking in big gulps and not minding the slight burn on his tongue until Hinata leaned back into his seat, expression grim.

"So the press got wind of it," Hinata commented, eyebrows furrowed, looking unusually serious.  Tobio nodded, swallowing the last dregs of his coffee.

"They were bound to sooner or later," he said, tossing the empty Styrofoam cup onto the nearest trashcan. "The only thing I'm worried about is the killer getting tipped off and flee Tokyo."

Hinata hummed at that, lips pursed on the lid of his cup. Tobio found his eyes drawn to the shape of his lips, the cupid bow dipping just right, his lips looking soft. His finger twitched, as if wanting to graze the intern's lips, feel if it was as smooth and soft as it looked. Shaking his head to be rid of the sudden thoughts, Tobio turned back to his computer, hiding the blush that was crawling up his cheeks.  He cleared his throat.

"I don't really think he cared, though," he continued slowly and this caught Hinata's attention, who looked at him curiously.

"What makes you say that?"

Tobio frowned, his gaze shifting back to meet Hinata's brown eyes. "Have you read the report I’ve written earlier?"

The intern nodded. "Same MO, but with slight variations... And an extra note," he paused, his eyes widening a fraction. "A note addressed to the detective."

Tobio nodded, sighing as he leaned back heavily into his seat. "The killer clearly knows we're already on his trail. He's taunting us now, how we're not able to catch a criminal like him after so many deaths." Gesturing vaguely at the news site that was still open on his monitor, Tobio scowled. "The fact that the media caught wind of the case could mean unnecessary panic from the public."

The shadow that passed on Hinata's face told Tobio that the other man understood the implications of such panic. Hinata sighed, drinking his last bit of coffee and tossed his cup into the trashcan as well. He locked gazes with the detective. "What's your next move then, Kageyama?"

What was his next move? Tobio let out an irritated sigh as he tried to think. The body was still in the autopsy theater with Kozume, and they still have yet to identify Jane Doe.  Also, the taunting note from the killer...

"I guess the first thing to do is to find out who Jane Doe is," Tobio shrugged, sinking into his chair.  "We've looked through the missing person's lists and she didn't turn up.  My guess is that she hasn't gone missing for long and will soon be reported missing by her family."

"We'll just have to wait till then."

Hinata looked at him thoughtfully before looking back at the article. He seemed deep in concentration which made Tobio squirm; how could he have such great concentration? Grumbling slightly, Tobio pulled his chair nearer to the intern, ignoring the slight tingle at where his knee knocked against his.

"Oi," he said and Hinata looked back at him questioningly. "What's on your mind?"

The intern looked at him for a moment more before shrugging slightly. "You said she was found early afternoon at the garden right?"

Slightly thrown off, Tobio nodded mutely.

Hinata continued, "If she's only been dead a few hours before she was found and she hasn't been reported missing... Then wouldn't she be living nearby the area?"

Tobio raised an eyebrow at Hinata's theory. "Dumbass," he grumbled, racking his brain for information he might have missed. "How can that be--"

His thoughts went back to the blue face of the victim, skin smooth and looked about college-aged. A sudden thought came to him.

"Kageyama?"

He heard Hinata call out to him but he didn't respond. Could it be...?

He whirled to face Hinata, eyes wide as he grabbed the intern's shoulders. Hinata let out a surprised yelp as Tobio shook him slightly.

"What the hell-"

"Shinjuku!"

Hinata raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

But Tobio wasn't listening. He blue eyes were still wide and unseeing as he unconsciously gripped for intern's shoulders tighter. "I need a map," he said suddenly. Hinata blinked, confused.

"... Why?"

Tobio turned to look at Hinata, a small smirk on his lips. "You gave me an idea."

Just as he stood up, however, Akaashi came over, a deep furrow between his brows and his lips set in a tight, straight line.

“Kageyama,” he called out, “We’ve identified the body.”

Tobio paused, staring at the older detective. He was vaguely aware of Hinata who was still seating, watching between the two of them but he didn’t let that break his train of thought.

“Was,” he began, licking his lips nervously. “Was she living or studying around the Shinjuku district?”

When Akaashi’s grim expression melted to expose one of surprise, Tobio released a breath he hadn’t realised he was holding.

“How did you—“

“Akaashi-san,” Tobio interrupted him, his blood pounding in his ears. “I have a theory. And I might be right about this.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried writing in the POV of the killer so let me know how it was. Comments are loved!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally just finished this chapter, so if there's any mistakes, please let me know!
> 
> I'm on [tumblr](http://forever-wonder2.tumblr.com/) if you wanna talk to me about my fics or anything Haikyuu!!

"I need a map," Tobio repeated.

He walked around the office, his eyes wandering the tables of his colleagues with Akaashi and Hinata following him apprehensively. It was when Tobio spotted the map of Tokyo on Matsukawa's desk that he took off, snatching the map off the desk and bringing it back to his own. He spread the large map, centering Shinjuku on the desk and smoothed it out as he took a pen. Akaashi and Hinata came over the opposite side of his desk, watching him.

"Kageyama," Akaashi began, frowning, "What are you doing?"

But Tobio didn't reply him.  His eyes were fixed on the map, deep in concentration. He then brought his pen to hover over Shinjuku National Garden and placed a cross near the entrance of the park.

"Where did the victim live?" he asked.

Akaashi got nearer to the map, studying it a moment before pointing at the housing estate closest to Waseda University. "Here. She lived near her school."

Tobio nodded and circled the school. He then went southward down the map and placed a cross at Yoyogi Park, where the previous victim Kaoru was found. He went up the map again, near Ueno, and circled her high school. One by one, Tobio went through the previous victims' reports in his mind, circling their homes and schools and placing crosses at where they were found. Tokyo park... The Meiji Shrine outer park... Kansen-en Park... Shinjuku Central Park... With every cross, Tobio could feel his blood pounding louder and louder in his ears.  He heard Hinata let out a breathless gasp when he crossed the final park and straightened to stare at the map.

"This..," Akaashi trailed off, eyes wide as he stared at the map. Tobio nodded mutely, not trusting himself to speak with his throat tightened.

While the circles were scattered around the Greater Tokyo region, the crosses told another story. With Shinjuku station laying smack dab in the middle of all things, crosses littered every garden and parks available within the ward. Tobio swallowed.

"It got me thinking when the victim wasn't ID'ed immediately," he began slowly, "and the fact that she died very recently."

"I thought if a crime were to be committed in a short span of time, it would have to be somewhere near - for both the victim and the killer."

Realisation set in Akaashi as his eyes widened and his eyebrows raised.  "The killer's in Shinjuku," he said lowly to which Tobio nodded grimly.

"We don't know where exactly he is since Shinjuku is a large ward, but we can now focus the search at Western Tokyo instead of the whole region," he said, tapping the map for emphasis. Tobio could feel Hinata's eyes boring into him but the detective ignored it as he continued to address Akaashi. "We can also start alerting the schools there of the killer; that way students will be more wary of their surroundings and the killer will have a harder time kidnapping anyone else."

Akaashi nodded absentmindedly, eyes still on the map and a hand tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Sounds good," he began. "But Kageyama, wouldn’t this cause the killer to be more on guard as well?  He could lay low for now and strike again in the future."

"We need to find out the identity of the killer."

Tobio bit his bottom lip, thinking. "I have an idea," he hesitated. "But I'm not sure if it's feasible."

Akaashi raised an eyebrow at that but signalled for the younger detective to continue. Tobio let out a loud exhale.

"The notes... I was thinking they all came from the same paper pad."

Akaashi nodded at that. "I was thinking that too, but it's going to hard tracing the brand and the millions of people that had brought the generic pad—“

"No," Tobio interrupted, shaking his head. "Not that kind of normal paper pad."

"Then what kind?" Hinata piped up, drawing the two detectives' attention to him. Tobio spied his wide, intense brown eyes and looked away to fix his gaze back at Akaashi.

"When you were in high school, did you have those school issued paper pads, Akaashi-san?" he asked.

It took only a second for Akaashi to catch on Tobio's train of thoughts. "A blue lined school issued paper pad," he repeated and Tobio nodded.

"And a circular logo," Tobio added, his mind flashing to the round print on the edges of the Jane Doe's suicide note from four months ago. Akaashi nodded, mentally stowing away the information.

"I'll start filtering out schools with a round logo," the older detective said, walking towards Tobio before he clapped a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Good work. You should go report this findings to the chief."

Tobio's heart soared at Akaashi's rare praise and offered a quick bow to the older man. "Thank you very much!" he almost shouted towards Akaashi's retreating back who headed back to his own desk before turning to face Hinata. The intern was watching him with a mixture of admiration and something that almost looked like longing that made the detective's heart flutter in his chest. Instead, Tobio cleared his throat, squashing down the feelings and picked up the map off the desk.

"I'm going to see the chief now," he mumbled, locking gazes with the shorter man. "... You coming? "

Hinata was practically vibrating on the spot as he nodded vigorously. Tobio couldn't help the small smile that was pulled on his lips as he beckoned the intern towards the chief's office.

 

 

 

He stumbled over his own feet, eyes fixed on Kageyama's broad back as they headed towards the chief's room. He had heard rumours about the detective when he had first started interning. How hard he was to work with but earnest and brilliant at his job. Although they had clashed during the earlier days of his internship, Hinata now found his brash and blunt personality endearing. He had seen with his own eyes how hardworking Kageyama was, how passionate he was in his work.

_"He's amazing..,”_ Hinata thought as his eyes never left the detective's back, and an unfamiliar fluttering sensation materialised at that thought, his cheeks tingling.

 

 

 

The chief hadn't let Tobio finish before he agreed to his and Akaashi's suggestion of informing nearby schools of the killer and ushered the two men out of his office in less than ten minutes.

"That was fast," Hinata commented as they stood outside his door in a daze for a moment longer.  Sawamura and Kuroo had walked past the two a while ago, Sawamura curious and his partner giving Tobio a mischievous smirk and wink.

"No shit," Tobio mumbled drily, though his eyes were fixed at the back of the messy haired detective. He tore his eyes from the sad excuse of a hairstyle when he heard a breathless chuckle beside him.

"Kageyama!"

Akaashi walked over towards the two quickly, his handsome face marred by a frown - something Tobio had just noticed to be a common fixture lately. He waved a piece of paper he had in his hand and beckoned the two to follow him over to his desk.

"I filtered out the schools with a round logo around Shinjuku just as I said - Junior High, High school, and university level," the older detective said, handing the piece of paper in his hand to Tobio. "I also narrowed it down to those schools with blue-lined paper pads."

Tobio took the paper wordlessly and looked through it. There were a number of schools listed, their logos printed beside their school name.  Seijo Junior High, Daisan... He barely read through the list before Akaashi was tapping at one school in particular toward the bottom of the list.

"I think you should consider this school, though," the older detective said, causing Tobio to quirk an eyebrow when he read the name of the school.

**Nohebi Academy**

"Why?" he looked up and saw Akaashi's expression. His blood ran cold. "... You _found_ him?"

Akaashi didn't say anything, but he merely sat down in front of his computer to open the internet browser. The school site for Nohebi was opened. "I might be wrong since it’s an old photo," he trailed off as he clicked on various tabs on the site and scrolled down the page. "But there were some similarities to the artist sketch so I thought you'd like to see it."

Tobio pulled out Matsukawa's chair from his desk and sat beside Akaashi just as the picture loaded. It was a formal group photo of a club - the boys’ volleyball club, Tobio noted, eyeing the two toned jerseys and the opposing colours of the libero's outfit. The date at the bottom of the photo told him it was taken almost ten years ago. He scanned the faces of the young boys who smiled at the camera, at ease with being on the team. When he reached the center of the photo, Tobio froze.

Sitting next to the teacher in charge and the coach, wearing the number one jersey, was a teenager boy with slanted eyes and a pointed nose. His hair was neat and parted cleanly and his smile was stretched from cheek to cheek, which were slightly pudgy with the last remnants of baby fats. Tobio grabbed the artist sketch lying on Akaashi's desk and held it up beside the computer.

The resemblance was uncanny.

Tobio took in a sharp breath, his eyes on the group photo still as he lowered the artist sketch. He could feel Akaashi's gaze on him but the other detective remained silent. Exhaling slowly, he asked the older man, "Do we have an address to the school?"

Akaashi nodded and stood up, grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair. Tobio shoved the artist sketch unceremoniously into his pocket with one hand, the other clicking onto the picture on the site and printing it. He jogged to the printer to grab it, Akaashi in tow.

"Let's go—“

"Akaashi!"

Startled, both detective turned to the source of sound. Walking towards them hurriedly yet maintaining his slouched position, the very tall and broad Matsukawa waved at Akaashi hurriedly.

"Matsukawa-san," Akaashi greeted, taking in the other detective's unusually pinched expression. "What seems to be the problem?"

"We got a mass suicide case that involved the Yamagata clan. The chief wants you to cover the case with me."

Akaashi frowned, eyes flickering momentarily at Tobio's stunned expression who was watching the exchange. "I can't," he addressed Matsukawa. "I'm assisting Kageyama—“

"Can't," Matsukawa cut in, shaking his head before briefly glancing apologetically at Tobio. "Chief really needs you to be on this case. We got to go."

Akaashi's frowned deepened; Tobio could see the older man was displeased with the situation. He pursed his lips for a moment, mulling over his thoughts before he opened his mouth. Tobio cut in.

"Akaashi-san," he began, drawing both the detective's attention to him. He gave an awkward jerk of his head. "It's okay. I can search for the suspect on my own."

The older detective looked conflicted. But Matsukawa didn't let Akaashi say a word for the taller detective set his heavily lidded eyes on Tobio. "Sorry about this, Kageyama," he apologised before tugging Akaashi's elbow. "We got to go. Now."

Akaashi didn't say anything but fixed Tobio a hard look, concern written all over his face. "Sorry," he mumbled but Tobio shook his head.

"It can't be helped."

They locked gazes for another moment before Akaashi allowed Matsukawa to lead him out of the station quickly. Tobio stood by the printer for a moment longer, letting out a slow exhale as he pinched the bridge of his nose hard. It couldn't be helped that Akaashi couldn't around, Tobio knew, but he couldn't help feeling disappointed about it.

_"No,"_ he thought to himself. It didn't matter; Tobio has been working by himself for a long time, so this case wasn't an exception. He didn't have time to wallow in self-pity, not when he was so close to finding the killer. He opened his eyes and caught a flash of orange by his desk-- Hinata was with Sawamura and Kuroo, listening intently to what they two were telling him as they gestured to the file in his hand. He felt an unpleasant pang in his gut and squashed it immediately. No, he had no time for personal feelings when he had a job to do.

Bracing himself, Tobio walked out of the station to his car, the address for Nohebi Academy clear in his mind.

 

 

* * *

 

 

She was very predictable, this Hitoka, he thought as he watched her from his perch by the magazine stands sitting against the glass of the convenience store. The girl took the usual route back to the train station from Keio University; he had been watching her for the past two days, always struggling to wade through the usual crowd in Shinjuku with her big A2 board clutched in her hands. Always coming from the station around the usual afternoon, and leaving when the sky had darkened to a pale orange, the inky blue seeping in.

And it did help that she never paid attention to the crowd around her, eyes frantically set on her bag whenever she had to dig for her train pass, or nervously studying the edges of her board after bumping into rushing office workers. With her blonde hair, she stood out amidst the sea of greys and blacks—he didn't have to crane his head far to spot her. His eyes flickered to the electronic board at the station beside the convenience store, the red lights flashing the time.

19:05. It was almost time.

Almost on cue, a head of yellow hair appeared at the entrance of the station, almost swallowed by the tide of office workers going against her. He felt a shiver down his spine as he watched Hitoka frantically pull the A2 board close to her body to prevent any damage to it. His eyes roamed the expanse of her body not covered by the board, nose wrinkling in distaste at her attire; denim shorts with a loose white top tucked in.

_No matter_ , he thought. He would have time to redress her soon.

Licking his lips, his tongue brushing slightly against the material of his face mask, he watched until Hitoka stepped into the gantry and climbed down the platform, out of sight. He could feel the excitement and anticipation coiling in his stomach. Soon he would have Hitoka in his clutches, feel her supple skin under his fingers and watch the bright red of her blood drip down her wrists. Letting out a breathless laugh, he turned his gaze from the gantry, shuffling out of the convenience store with his head bowed and hands deep inside his pockets.

He didn't take notice of the pair of eyes from behind the counter, watching him intently.

 

* * *

 

 

It was well past school hours when Tobio parked his car is the parking lot. The sky was painted a mix of orange and pink, the street lamps had automatically been switched on a few minutes ago. The school wasn’t empty though, he could hear shouts from the field where the baseball club was undoubtedly having practice and the faint rhythmic thuds of something solid hitting wood in one of the gyms near the back of the school.

He hadn’t really thought through his plan when he had started driving towards Nohebi—he didn’t set an appointment to see the principal before he left. What if he wasn’t around? Tobio couldn’t waste any time, not with so much at stake with this case now. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case, as Tobio lifted his badge for the security officer to examine who then led him towards the principal’s office.

“You’re in luck, detective,” the elderly security officer said. “Kimura-san usually leaves once the last school bell ends. It just so happens that the staff meeting has taken a longer time than usually today.” Tobio didn’t say anything to it, merely grunting in response. It seemed the security officer didn’t seem to mind the lack of conversation as they strode quickly before reaching the principal office.

With a sharp knock and a muffled “come in!” from the other side, the security officer beckoned Tobio towards the door before taking his leave. Tobio took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and entered.

The principal’s office was cluttered—that was the first word that came to the detective’s mind as he did a quick glance at his surroundings. Mountains of trophy and medals piled on every shelf at the walls, belonging to many clubs (Tobio thought he saw a trophy addressing to the Karuta club and wondered briefly what kind of tournament a literature club would have). His tore his eyes away from the walls to focus at the middle, where a shiny mahogany table sat. Behind the desk was who Tobio assumed to be the principal, big, chubby and balding, much like his vice-principal in high school. The principal, seated on his high-backed chair, gave Tobio a onceover, sizing him up before gesturing him in.

“Can I help you?”

Tobio flashed his badge and watched with a grim sense of satisfaction the principal’s face turn blotchy purple. “I apologise for the sudden visit Kimura-san. I am Detective Kageyama Tobio from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Force. I am here seeking for some information regarding an individual whom I believe to have attended school here before,” he said it all in one breath, eyes never leaving Kimura behind the desk. The principal stared at him a while longer before beckoning the detective nearer.

“Who are we talking about here?”

Tobio walked closer to the desk, fishing out the printed photo of the volleyball team and sliding the paper across the desk. “Do you recognise this man, Kimura-san?” he asked, pointing at Number 1. The principal frowned, his eyes focused on the photo. Finally he shook he head.

“Can’t say I remember him,” Kimura said, tossing the paper printout on his desk. It slid across the mahogany swiftly before flopping unceremoniously on the floor. Tobio felt a throb of irritation in his temple but the principal remained oblivious to the detective’s irritation. “We’ve had thousands of students in this Academy every year, it’s hard to keep track of everyone’s faces, especially those who have graduated a long time ago.”

“Then could you point me to someone who might know?”

Kimura studied Tobio critically, sneering at the detective. “You can try the volleyball club then, Detective. They should still be in the gym now.” He waved a hand flippantly. “I have other things to attend to, so see yourself out, Detective.”

Grinding his molars, Tobio tried his damnest to keep collected. He gave a jerk forward of his head, giving the most sarcastic ‘thank you’ that he could without offending the older man before picking up the printed photo and exiting the office.

Once out, Tobio let out a long sigh. “Asshole,” he muttered, forcing out the tenseness from his shoulders before heading down to the gym.

The gym lights were still on, and the squeaking of shoes against polished floors and the thumps of the ball making contact became louder as Tobio got closer to the building. He felt a pang of nostalgia for a moment there—he missed the feel of the volleyball on the tips of his fingers, the burn in his lungs as he struggled to keep pace during a match, the proud smile directed to him during the rare times Tobio managed to serve the ball with precision during their private practices—

The detective shook his head, ridding the last of his thoughts just as he opened the gym door. The air was stifling in the gym and Tobio was reminded of the fact that summer was approaching. His eyes scanned the gym, teenage boys running around, playing a practice match with one another, keeping scores by the side, one speaking animatedly to the bored looking young man whom Tobio could only guess it to be the club advisor, given his ill-fitted shirt and bright orange tie which clashed horribly with his spiky hair. He spotted an older man sitting in a black tracksuit at the benches at the side, watching the team intently and walked towards him. If there were someone who could give Tobio an answer, it would have to be the coach. The coach spotted Tobio and stood up, watching the detective curiously until he reached him, flashing his badge at the coach.

“Detective Kageyama, Tokyo Metropolitan Police,” Tobio greeted tersely and the coach nodded.

“Oomizuki. I’m the coach,” Oomizuki introduced himself. “How can I help you detective?”

Tobio got straight to the point. He pulled out the now crumpled print out and pointed to Number 1. “I’m looking for this man. Would you happen to know his current whereabouts?”

The coach squinted at the photo, recognition setting in after a moment. “Oh, I remember him! Great player, good captain. I can’t remember his name though…”

Tobio’s heart sank at that. “Is there anyone who would be able to help?” He asked, desperation starting to colour his tone. He was so close, _so close,_ and he couldn’t afford a dead lead right now. But lady luck was on his side it seemed, for the coach turned towards where the club advisor stood.

“Kuguri! Get over here!”

The club advisor turned at the sound of his name, nodding once to Oomizuki before he headed over to where the two men stood. The coach patted the younger man roughly on his back once he was close enough. “Kuguri should remember him! Since they were on the same team,” the coach said before his attention was diverted by a couple of first years shouting at each other. “Excuse me.”

Tobio took a second glance at the club advisor before recognising his face with a start. His cheekbones were more prominent than in the photo, but there was no mistake that this was the same person as the Number 12 standing at the back row of the photo in his hand. He was so surprised that he almost didn’t notice the hand offered to him.

“I’m Kuguri, a teacher in this school and the volleyball club advisor, “he said, his voice lacking in emotion as he scanned Tobio’s face. “How can I help you?”

Tobio sputtered for a moment. Then regaining his composure, he flashed his badge once again. “Detective Kageyama. I’m actually looking for this man. Would you be able to tell me?” he held out the photo and once again pointed at the suspect although his eyes never left Kuguri’s face.

There was a spark of recognition in those dark eyes the moment they landed on Number 1 and Tobio could barely breathe, his heart pounding hard in his throat. “Yes,” Kuguri mumbled, eyes flicking back to the detective. “I know him. He was my senior here when I was a first year.”

“His name is Daishou Suguru.”

His blood was pounding in his ears as Tobio took out his notepad and pen and scribbled the name down. “Were you close to him?” He asked, eyeing the teacher intently.

Kuguri shrugged. “I was closer to Numai-san. And I didn’t really keep in contact with the seniors once they’ve graduated, although I heard Daishou-san went overseas to study,” he said.

“Do you at least know where he lives?”

The teacher paused for a moment, watching the detective for a moment. “Is he in any trouble, detective?” he asked and Tobio could hear the hardness in his voice that wasn’t there before and cursed inwardly. This man was starting to put up walls around him and Tobio couldn’t let it go. He decided to try a different tactic.

“Not at all,” he said, feeling the words dripped unpleasantly from his mouth. “We just need to ask him a few questions regarding a case we have, nothing serious.”

Kuguri watched Tobio for a moment longer before relaxing. Tobio would breathe a sigh of relief if he could but pushed it off when Kuguri shrugged.

“Like I said, I don’t keep touch with the seniors, so I wouldn’t know his current whereabouts,” he said, before a thoughtful expression passed his face. “Although I can give you his old address when he attended school here—it should be in the records. You can ask his relatives about his current whereabouts.”

The detective felt almost light from giddiness. “Please,” he said simply, giving the teacher a small nod, keeping his expression as neutral as possible.

Stale bread crumbs were better than no bread crumbs, Tobio thought as he followed Kuguri back to the staff room.

He was going to catch this man.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are loved!!
> 
> I'm on [tumblr](http://forever-wonder2.tumblr.com/) if you wanna talk to me about my fics or anything Haikyuu!!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally just finished this chapter, so if there's any mistakes, please let me know!
> 
> I'm on [tumblr](http://forever-wonder2.tumblr.com/) if you wanna talk to me about my fics or anything Haikyuu!!

It was an unusually warm morning, Tobio found out when he got out of his car, eyeing the house by the side. The sky was still a dimmed blue, shadows were long and the break of bright orange from the sun was still too small. It was bad manners to arrive so early for questioning, Tobio knew, but he couldn't sit still enough to wait for a few more hours. In fact, he had wanted to head off the day before itself, the moment Kuguri had handed him a slip of paper with Daishou's old home address written on it neatly. If it weren't for the fact that Kuroo had spotted him when he dropped by the station late last night and almost physically hauled him back home, he would probably be pounding the door at midnight.

Tobio swallowed slowly, tugging the stiff collar of his shirt slightly. He had forgone his jacket this morning, but the heat was stifling and he could already feel beads of sweat forming on his forehead and under his arms. Silently glad that he had opted to put on a dark coloured shirt instead of a white one, Tobio crossed the road to get on the sidewalk where the house was. Located at the edges of Tokyo, the house was bigger than what he would find in the metropolitan area where apartments were ubiquitous, although smaller than his family home back in Miyagi. A double-storeyed house, he noted the house was kept clean and neat, a shiny silver sedan resting outside. A black nameplate perched on the brick wall outside the house, the kanji for "Daishou" etched in gold. Tobio raised an eyebrow at that. From what he could see, the family looked well-off. He went up the short steps up to the main door, took a deep breath before pressing it once.

The loud chime of the doorbell echoed deep in the house. If they weren't up then, they would be now, Tobio mused, fidgeting slightly when he hears soft padding from the other side of the door and then a moment later, the door opened.

A small, older lady peeked out from behind the dark wooden door, slanted eyes snapped so alike to the photo and artist sketch of Daishou. Her hair was tied in a loose braid hanging on one shoulder and she looked at Tobio warily, her grip on the door making her knuckles white.

"Yes?" she asked, voice soft as if to not disrupt the weird tranquillity the neighbourhood had. Tobio gave her a short bow before flashing his badge, watching a flicker of understanding in her eyes.

"I apologise for coming by this early," Tobio began, reciting the lines he had been saying since he had become a detective. "I am Detective Kageyama from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. I just have some questions regarding your son, Suguru. Is it okay if I come in?"

A shadow passed over the woman's face at the sound of Daishou's name, but she stepped back and allowed Tobio to enter. Tobio pulled his shoes off slowly at the entranceway, muttering a soft "please excuse the intrusion" and slipped on a pair of indoor shoes the woman had presented to him. Then he followed her through the nearest door—the living room.

"Have a seat, detective," she gestured to the couch. "I'll bring you something to drink."

She left before Tobio could decline. Clicking his tongue lightly, Tobio let his eyes wander round the room. It was spacious and minimally designed, with white walls and contrasting black furniture scattered throughout. A drawer by the television held an array of framed photographs, which Tobio took a few steps towards it and examined the photographs.

They were mostly family portraits, he noted, of varying times—the woman once had sleek bob hair and her husband beside her had sported a thick bushy moustache. Their hands were always on the shoulders of their only son, from when he was a pudgy elementary student up till his graduation photo from Nohebi Academy. Tobio frowned, studying the photo more intently. He looked... _normal_. With his wide smile and crinkled eyes, Tobio couldn't understand how someone like him could possibly kill others. Then again, no one could simply sniff out a serial killer-- it could be anyone nowadays.

Tobio sighed and was about to turn when a photograph caught his eye. Turning back towards the drawer, the detective shifted the other photographs before his fingers wrapped around the wooden frame of the partially hidden photograph. Tobio looked at it. In the photo stood Daishou, his hair sleeked as ever and a smile on his face. The fats on his cheeks in the volleyball team photo had melted off to reveal a more defined jawline and hairline wrinkles had started forming at the corners of his eyes. Tobio guessed this photograph was as recent as a few years ago, probably after he had graduated from university. He let his eyes wander to the rest of the photo and found Daishou's arm wrapped around the waist of another figure. A woman, with bright eyes and a soft smile was leaning against him, staring at the camera. Her hair was straight and long, her bangs hung heavy above her eyes. Her dressing was immaculate; cream collared top with a high-waist skirt. She was holding onto Daishou's arms loosely and there was something familiar in her expression that made Tobio's heart twist in his chest.

A clinking sound came from behind and Tobio whipped his head just as Daishou's mother came in with a tray of tea in her hands. She gave a pause at the doorway, looking between the detective's face and the photo frame in his hand before walking in, placing the mugs onto the table without a word. Tobio felt a prickle of shame; he should have known better than to snoop around someone's house. He could almost picture Sawamura's disappointed face when he sat down heavily on the coach and accepting the cup of tea from the woman.

Daishou's mother sat herself on the armchair beside the couch, swirly the tea leaves in her cup. Neither said anything for a while, giving room for the strained silence to grow. Tobio fidgeted in his seat, eyes on his tea until she broke the silence.

"What is this about Suguru?" she asked, and something in her tone made Tobio looked up. For the first time since he had entered the house, Tobio realised she looked tired—haggard almost, expression wrinkled and lips set in a deep frown. Licking his lips, Tobio set down his cup of tea.

"Daishou-san," Tobio began, wondering how he could phrase his next sentences properly. "We're looking for Suguru-san to ask some questions. I went to his high school and got the address to this house," he paused, gauging her reaction. There was none. "I was wondering if you know of his current whereabouts."

Daishou's mother sighed, putting her tea down as well, as if she no longer had the mood to drink. "Suguru hasn't been back home since he graduated from university overseas," she said, shaking her head. "I haven't heard from him at all for a whole. Not since... Not since what happened to Mika-chan."

"Mika-chan?" Tobio repeated to which she nodded. She gestured at the framed photograph of Daishou and the young woman Tobio was still clutching when he was caught.

"Mika-chan, my son's girlfriend. They had been together since high school. Very sweet girl," she paused and Tobio could see the tremble in her bottom lip. "We never expected for her to do that."

Tobio caught himself inching forward in his seat. "What happened to her?" he asked and Daishou's mother gave a soft sniffle.

"She..," she hesitated, and Tobio squirmed uncomfortably when he say the older woman's eyes has taken on a glassy sheen to them. "She killed herself."

"Suguru found her in the tub when he got back, wrists cut and wearing her favourite white dress." Tears where freely streaming down her face and Tobio awkwardly handed her the tissue box from the side table. She accepted it and pulled out a few sheets, dabbing her eyes as she shook her head.

"Sorry," she whispered thickly. "Suguru was distraught. He never told me if he knew why she did it. Even if he knew, he never told me."

"After that, he sold the apartment they shared and hasn't been home since," she finished her story, eyes downcast. "I thought giving him space would be good for him so I never contacted him... But it's been years since." she looked up at Tobio pleadingly. "Please find my son," she whispered.

Tobio swallowed thickly, unable to looks at the woman in the eyes. After all, how was he supposed to tell her that he was searching for her son because he was the primary suspect or a serial killing? She was still looking at him, tears now freely rolling down her cheeks and he felt a stab of guilt. He opened his mouth wordlessly, trying to say something, anything, when his phone started vibrating in his pocket.

"Excuse me," he muttered, taking his phone out to find Kuroo calling him. He breathed a sigh of relief before looking back at Daishou's mother. "Sorry, I need to take this... "

She didn't say anything but merely nodded, dabbing her eyes with a tissue while Tobio stood to leave the living, answering the call once he was at the hallway. "Kuroo-san?"

Static crackled from the other end before Kuroo's deep voice filled his ear. "Kageyama," he said and Tobio could somehow picture the older man smirking at him. "I guess you're already at the suspect's old house this early in the morning?"

Tobio hated Kuroo's intuition sometimes. "Mm," he mumbled, scowling at the wall in front of him. He heard Kuroo let out a bark of laughter.

"Chill, kid," he chortled, "I'm not going to reprimand you like what Sawamura would do if he knew about this."

"Are you going to tell him, Kuroo-san?"

"Nah," the older detective said lightly. "I'm a kind person." Tobio could almost roll his eyes, ala Tsukishima style. "And being the kind person that I am, I'm going to share something with you."

Tobio raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

"I found your suspect's old apartment, which he lived until a year or so ago. It's not much, but you could probably get a lead there."

Tobio felt a surge of gratitude for the older man. "Thank you very much!" he said and heard Kuroo chuckle.

"Anytime kid, see you soon."

They said their goodbyes and Tobio ended the call, feeling a wave of anticipation running along his skin when he received Kuroo’s text. The apartment was in the heart of Tokyo, in one of the better off neighbourhoods, he noted, as he mentally plotted his route while stepping back into the living room. The older woman hadn't moved from her spot, drinking her cold tea while staring blankly into space. Tobio cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Sorry," he said, "but I've been called back to the station, so...”he trailed off, but the woman merely nodded in understanding. He gathered his things, putting the undrunk cup of tea back on the tray before the photo of Daishou and Mika caught his eye. Gingerly picking it up, he looked at the woman. “If it okay if I take this?”

She nodded mutely once again and stood up to lead him back to the entryway where Tobio slipped on his shoes, anxious to be out of the house.

"Detective."

Her voice was soft and frail and Tobio looked up to see the weary expression back on her face. "You'll let me know if you found him, would you?" she asked and Tobio felt sorry for her. He gave a quicker downward jerk of his head before excusing himself and stepped out.

Once the warm air stuck to the skin of his neck, Tobio let out a long breath he hadn't realised he had been holding. He brought a hand down his face, taking deep breaths before shaking his head, as if to clear his thoughts. Bringing the photo up, he studied it once again, taking in Mika’s bright eyes and warm smile.

Judging from Daishou’s mother’s tearful expression and her describing how devastated her son was regarding Mika’s fate, it was as if they led a rose-coloured life and had never expected such tragedy to happen. But what could possibly be the reason for Mika to end her own life? Did Daishou drive her into it? Was she the reason for the spate of killings? Had Daishou broken down completely after her death that he sought to repeat her death through the lives of other innocent girls? Tobio let out another heavy sigh and pocketed the photo. He could almost feel a headache forming at the base of his head. With one last look at the pristine white house, Tobio walked away.

He got into his car, gave himself a moment to recollect his thoughts before starting the engine.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Yachi winced, rubbing her shoulder with her free hand while clutching the board tightly against her body with her other hand. Even though it was past the peak period, Shinjuku station was as crowded as ever. People were rushing from all sides, desperate to catch their trains or reach their destinations in time. Yachi could understand it—after all, she was doing the same. With Keio University’s festival coming up, her juniors in school had requested her help on the marketing section of their club. And she being Yachi, had agreed to it. She didn’t hate it, but sometimes she wondered if it as worth the trouble of squeezing into crowded trains and wading through the sea of office workers here.

Sighing, Yachi tucked the board tightly under her arm. Today was the last day of preparation and she had a lot to touch up on before she could truly say she was done. It was going to be hectic, and not to mention Tadashi had reminded her to come home earlier today—it was their anniversary. She fought a blush as she thought of her boyfriend; they’ve been together since they have graduated high school and had decided to move in together when they were in their final year of university. Her mother wasn’t very pleased—despite her appearances, she was very traditional still. But she trusted Tadashi wouldn’t hurt her daughter and allowed it, although it wasn’t without hinting about marriage every time she saw him. Yachi could picture his face, bright red from being interrogated and his stuttering to say the best things without offending her or her model. A small smile appeared on her lips. Truthfully, she hadn’t seen him much at all this week due to the festival preparation. Whenever he was home, she would be at the university, discussing the poster design with her juniors. By the time she had reached home, he would have already left for his shift at his workplace.

Yachi sighed. She missed Tadashi, and couldn’t wait for the festival to end. Promising herself that she would pack up at least two hours earlier today, she turned a sharp corner leading out of the JR station and promptly bumped into something solid.

It was a hard bump, Yachi couldn’t catch her footing in time and fell backwards. She heard the crushing of cardboard against concrete and her blood ran cold. _No… No…_ Scrambling back up, she yanked the board up only to find a third of the board bent out of shape.

_“I’m dead!”_ she thought as fear ran through her. She could already imagine the disappointed looks on her juniors’ faces, where they would look at her scornfully and avoid her. She could imagine how her reputation would pummel and how it would affect her career, her boss catching wind on her inefficiency and promptly firing her. She would have to rely on Tadashi for income, but Tadashi’s pay wouldn’t be enough for both rent and groceries, and they would be evicted, and her mother would separate them--!

“Are you okay?”

Yachi was startled out of her thoughts by the warm, heavy hand on her shoulder and the soft voice near her ear. Tearing her eyes from her destroyed board, she looked up to find a tall, broad man watching her with concern. He looked vaguely familiar; with slanted eyes and a sharp part to his short hair. His eyes wandered around her face and Yachi could see a spark of recognition in his eyes.

“Ah! Hitoka-chan!”

Yachi squeaked at the sound of her name. Back ramrod straight, she tried to look the man in the eye without trembling too much. “How do you know my name?” she asked.

The man gave her a smile wide on his thin lips. “We met a few days earlier,” he said, his voice smooth and pleasant. “We bumped into each other that time as well.”

It took a while before it clicked. The guy in the mask! Yachi exclaimed in surprise and gave a frantic bow. “I’m sorry for not recognising you earlier!” she said. “And I apologise for bumping into you once again--!”

“It’s okay,” the man cut her off, smiling still, his eyes now crinkling. “It was an accident.” His eyes then fell to the crumpled board by her feet. “I’m sorry about your board, though.”

Yachi shook her head almost immediately. “It was my own fault, I didn’t see where I was going!” she refuted.

The man merely chuckled. “We’re both at fault,” he said, and Yachi relaxed upon seeing his friendly expression. He took out his wallet. “I’ll compensate you for it.”

Startled, Yachi waved her hand frantically. “N-no! It’s fine! I can’t possibly take any money from you!”

“But I feel bad about it. Let me—“

“It’s okay! It’s due to my clumsiness—“

“Hitoka-chan.”

His tone made her pause and Yachi looked up to find him looking at her in slight frustration. “Let me,” he repeated. “It’s the least I could do.”

“But..,” Yachi began weakly. Her mother had taught her never to take money from others, yet the man’s insistence was making her uncomfortable. He must have sensed her unease for he gave a loud sigh.

“Okay, fine. I won’t give you the money,” he relented. “But on one condition.”

Relief flooded Yachi’s system as she locked gazes with the man. “Anything!” she said.

The man’s smile stretched wider. “I would like for you to accompany me for lunch.”

Yachi faltered. “I... I can’t,” she whispered hesitantly, and started fiddling with the promise ring on her finger. The man noticed her action and gave a bark of laughter and a shake of his head.

“I don’t mean it like that, Hitoka-chan,” he chortled, and Yachi could feel the heat of embarrassment crawling up her cheeks. “I’m saying that since you wouldn’t accept the money, at least accept lunch with me as compensation for the board.”

Comprehension dawned upon her. “Oh!” she exclaimed, partly embarrassed and partly relived. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear shyly. “Okay then.”

The man clapped his hands. “Alright,” he said, picking up her board and began steering her gently out of the station. “Let’s get going then. I heard there’s a really good ramen stall tucked away in the smaller alleys.”

She smiled politely. Amidst the commuting rush and the confusion earlier, Yachi hadn’t had time to stop and realise that she didn’t even know the man’s name, nor anything at all about the man.

She didn’t catch the sinister smile on his face the moment the two of them ducked out of the crowded main street and into a quieter alley.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Tobio sighed, running a hand through his hair as he leaned into the seat of his car. The lead that Kuroo had given him didn’t amount to much—the landlord remembered the couple but refused to say anything regarding the incident with Mika-chan.

_“It’s bad business for me if word got out that someone had died here,” he had said around his cigarette. “So I told him I was cancelling his lease by the end of the month. Cruel, I know, to kick a guy out like that, but I didn’t want to make the gamble.”_

The landlord had no idea where Daishou had gone after that. It back to square one. Tobio gave another sigh as he lifted his hand to eye his watch.

It was already seven in the evening. He hadn’t had the time to stop for lunch or even a cup of coffee, Tobio realised. He could feel exhaustion setting in his bones, not to mention the bad feeling in his gut that he had been experiencing since he had arrived at Roppongi. Rubbing his hands over his face again, Tobio closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Running himself ragged like the last time wouldn’t help solve the case. Not to mention he would have to face Sawamura’s wrath if he ended up in the hospital again. Deciding to purchase a bentou box from the nearest convenience store before heading back to the station, Tobio pulled his seat up and started his car.

 

He knew something was wrong the moment he entered the station with a yogurt drink on his lips and his dinner in the plastic bag. He spotted a frazzled looking Akaashi by Tobio’s desk with and equally frazzled Hinata holding his smartphone against his ear. Tobio raised an eyebrow—the intern looked horrible, with his face as white as sheet and his eyes wide with panic. Tobio strode over to them quickly, weaving through the clutter in the office and ducking from colleagues. He saw the tears in Hinata’s brown eyes the moment the intern caught his own. The bad feeling in his gut seemed to have intensified.

“What’s wrong?” Tobio asked, flicking his gaze between the intern and Akaashi. Hinata clutched his phone tighter until his knuckles turned white and a tear rolled down his cheek.

“Kageyama,” he whispered and Tobio hated how vulnerable Hinata sounded at that moment. “… Yachi’s missing.”

Tobio’s eyes widened. He tried to swallow the bad feeling threatening to rise up his throat. “W-where?” he asked jerkily. Perhaps she was merely running late from her errand, Tobio reasoned. After all, she lived up nearer to Ueno than to Shinjuku.

Hinata had his head bowed so Tobio couldn’t see his expression, but he could hear the soft sniffle. Akaashi reached out a hand to pat HInata comfortingly. His shoulders trembled and it was a while before Hinata managed to take in a shaky breath and croaked out.

“Shinjuku.”

It was like the world was pulled out from under him. Tobio hadn’t realised that his grip on the convenience store plastic bag had gone slack and his dinner box had spilled all over the floor. There were murmurs and snickering behind him but he paid them no mind. His heart beating loudly against his ribcage that it hurt, Tobio fixed his wide eye stare at the intern.

“Are you serious?” he whispered moments later, half wishing he hadn’t asked and the other half wanting to find out.

The heartbroken expression on Hinata’s face said it all and Tobio felt his stomach drop.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, Yacchan :'(
> 
> Comments are loved!!
> 
> I'm on [tumblr](http://forever-wonder2.tumblr.com/) if you wanna talk to me about my fics or anything Haikyuu!!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update, my work load and school assignments piled up.  
> Not my best chapter and I literally just finished this chapter, so if there's any mistakes, please let me know!
> 
> I'm on [tumblr](http://forever-wonder2.tumblr.com/) if you wanna talk to me about my fics or anything Haikyuu!!

He never expected he would be like this when he woke up this morning. Numb with shock and his throat tightening, Hinata sat with his head bowed and his hands curled into fists on his lap. Akaashi had led him to sit in the questioning room to gather himself away from the prying eyes of the office. Yachi...

When he had received the call from Yamaguchi an hour earlier, he thought nothing about, a smile wide on his face as he answered his friend cheerfully. It was only after the panicked tone of his friend, high and shaky that Hinata became concerned.

"What's wrong, Yamaguchi?" he had asked, as he fiddled with his necktie. Although the station was air-conditioned, the summer heat seemed to have crept in, making the air warm and stifling. He heard Yamaguchi take in a shaky breath and when he spoke again, Hinata was sure he was almost in tears.

"Hinata," he had whispered and the intern pressed his phone harder against his ear in an attempt to block out the surrounding noise. "Hitoka... Yachi's missing."

Hinata's stomach had given an uncomfortable lurch as he listened when his friend continued speaking. "She was supposed to be back four hours ago... No calls from her and I couldn't get in touch with her." There was a shaky breath being exhaled into the phone, causing a brief moment of static. "I called one of her juniors as well from university, but she said Hitoka didn't turn up at all today."

Hinata's mind had been reeling and a lump had formed in his throat by then. He couldn't think of what to say then, his eyes wide and unseeing and frozen in place. Luckily Akaashi had been passing by when he took in the sight of an unusually silent Hinata. The detective had approached him with a concerned expression and Hinata wordlessly handed the phone to him, where Yamaguchi was speaking still.

"This is Akaashi," Akaashi had said and he was silent throughout the time Yamaguchi retold his story, his lidded eyes on the still unmoving Hinata. He ended the call with an assurance they look into it immediately before handing the phone back.

The door to the questioning room opened and Hinata looked up to find a blurred Akaashi coming in- he hadn't realised that he had started crying. He hastily wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt before blinking furiously at the detective who had placed a cup of warm tea in front of him.

"Have a drink," he said, sitting opposite Hinata, watching him. Hinata sucked in a shaky breath as he gingerly held the cup before sipping a little. He didn't trust himself to drink any more than that, with his throat closing up. Biting his lower lip, Hinata pushed the cup away and looked up at Akaashi.

"Has there been any news?"

Akaashi sighed, leaning his elbows against the table. "Not yet. Kageyama is on the case right now," the detective gave him a small smile. "We'll find her, Hinata."

Hinata nodded, before hanging his head, rubbing his face with his hand. "Thank you," he whispered and sucked in a shaky breath. "Sorry- I’m useless right now-“

"Don't," Akaashi cut in, shaking his head. "Don't blame yourself. You didn't know this would happen." At Hinata's nod, his eyes softened. "Go and get some rest, Hinata. I've already informed the chief about this."

 

"It's okay, I can still work."

Akaashi shook his head. "I know you can," he said, looking gazes with him. "But you should go see your friend. He must be worried sick."

Yamaguchi's face appeared in his mind and Hinata felt a stab of guilt. Yamaguchi must be feeling worse than he was, with Yachi being his girlfriend and all. He gave a minute nod to Akaashi and stood up slowly. The detective led him out of the room, grabbed his jacket for him and accompanied him out. Hinata caught sight of Kageyama's back, his whole body hunched over his desk and computer and his heart ached as he wished for the detective to bring his friend back.

 

 

 

Tobio sighed in frustration as he leaned into his chair, running a hand down his face. He had been running the system, trying to search for any criminal records Daishou had in order to find his whereabouts. However, the system came up blank. He had also tried to search for anything regarding Mika's death but it was like searching for a needle in a haystack- with the alarming suicide rates in Japan, not all would be featured in the news. So far, Tobio had the short end of the stick.

Nothing.

Tobio let out another frustrated sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose.  His headache was in full force right now, pounding in his temples hard and his stomach coiling uncomfortably from hunger and dread. He had no time to waste on himself; Yachi was in danger. A second wasted is a second less likely for her survival.

_No_ , he thought. He couldn't think that way, not about Yachi. His thoughts went back to the heartbroken expression on Hinata's face and his stomach churned uncomfortably. He had to get this right. He had to find Yachi. He _had_ to.

"Kageyama, here."

Tobio looked up to find Akaashi standing over his desk, placing a wrapped onigiri on his desk. He eyed the food as though he had offended him. “I’m not hungry,” he said tersely before his stomach gave a traitorous growl. He flushed under Akaashi’s unimpressed stare and averted his eyes back to his screen. “I don’t feel like eating,” he mumbled, his fingers tapping his keyboard hard. He heard the older detective sigh and looked up to find an exasperated expression on Akaashi’s face, hands folded in front of him. Immediately Tobio felt like toddler about to get a scolding from the older man.

“Look,” Akaashi said, his voice as even as he could, although Tobio could note a tinge of impatience colouring it. “I know she’s your friend, but what good will it do if you collapse from exhaustion again?”

The incident played in his mind and Tobio flushed even harder this time. “It won’t happen again-“

“No, it won’t,” Akaashi cut him off, tapping next to the onigiri sharply. “Because I will not let it happen. Eat.”

Tobio scowled, but he made no move to grab the food, instead glaring at it as if hoping it would burst into flames if he glared hard enough. He heard Akaashi sigh again.

“If you’re not going to eat,” he said lowly. “Then I’m telling the chief to pull you out of this case.”

That certainly caught his attention. Tobio jerked his head upwards, eyes wide at Akaashi. “You wouldn’t,” he retorted but the older detective’s piercing stare told him otherwise. He would. Sighing in defeat, Tobio grabbed and unwrapped the onigiri before taking a big bite out of it. The rice felt like dry cardboard but Tobio, wary of invoking Akaashi's wrath, bit back any complaints he had and swallowed thickly. The older detective seemed satisfied for he pulled Kuroo's chair from his desk to sit beside Tobio.

"So, what have you got?" he asked with a sigh, pulling a hand down his face. Tobio saw that he was as weary as he felt. The younger man scowled and shook his head.

"Nothing," he mumbled between bites of the onigiri. Chomping down the last of it, he tossed the wrapper into the bin and wiped his hands on his pants. Akaashi pretended to not notice. "I tried running the system to see if Daishou had any previous records but there wasn't anything. I also tried searching for news on Mika's death but nothing turned up." He leaned against his seat, the feeling of dread increasing tenfold in his stomach.

"We don't have a lead," Tobio mumbled, running a hand roughly through his hair. Useless, he was absolutely useless. At this rate, it would be harder to get to Yachi alive before they find her dead in a ditch somewhere. His stomach churned uncomfortably at the thought of Yachi's blue skin and Hinata's teary face.

Akaashi hadn't said a word throughout, his dark eyes fixed on the younger detective wallowing in self-deprecation. The two sat in silence for a moment, as though the noise of the office was absent. Then, the older man spoke, "Are you giving up?"

The response was instantaneous. Tobio jumped up to his feet, eyes wide. "Hell no!" he exclaimed as his thoughts conjured an unmoving Yachi. He shook he head and thoughts away, his hands fisted tightly by his sides. "We will find her alive."

Akaashi hasn't reacted to the outburst, merely a small smile gracing his lips as he stood up for pull on his jacket. "That's the spirit," he said and Tobio noticed the fire in the older detective's eyes. "Let's go.”

"Where?" Tobio grabbed his jacket and stumbles out of the station behind Akaashi who was taking long strides out. The older man looked at him over his shoulder determinedly.

"We're going to be doing what we've been doing this whole case," he said, pushing the glass door with more force than needed.

"We follow the bread crumbs."

 

 

 

Yamaguchi had told him that Yachi would leave the house a little after eight in the morning and she would reach home just before eight in the evening. Travelling time took roughly around half an hour to forty-five minutes on the train depending on the peak period. Tobio eyed the crowded gantry wearily from his position at one of the station exit. It was almost ten in the evening yet the crowd was still here in Shinjuku station, office workers working overtime finally clocking out, either off home or to look for a pub to unwind for the day.

His eyes flickered to the station control where Akaashi was talking one of the staff, expression grim. From the shaking of the staff's head and the apologetic smile when Akaashi finally gave a bow, it seemed to Tobio that the questioning had been a bust. He waited for the older detective to wade through the crowd and stand next to him before he spoke.

"Any luck?" He asked gruffly, his throat dry. He licked his lips and gave a dry swallow. Akaashi sighed, pocketing his notepad and badge.

"No," he said finally. "The station's crowded all day, he couldn't keep track of any activities for too long. Although he did mention that he had seen a girl with a board in and out of the station a few times this week."

Tobio nodded. "How about today?"

"He started his shift in the afternoon, so he must've missed her."

Tobio sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Surveillance cameras?"

Akaashi shook his head. "We don't have a permit to look through them. And it will take a while to get to them. By that time... "

The older man had trailed off, but Tobio could hear the rest of the sentence loud in his head.

_It would have been too late by then._

Frowning, Tobio pushed himself off the wall he had been leaning against. "Let's go, Akaashi-san," he beckoned as he walked towards the exit nearest to Keio University.  He heard the other man walking quickly behind him before he caught up.

"We're tracing her steps?" Akaashi clarified, to which Tobio nodded just before he took a turn round the corner.

He stopped.

Akaashi stopped beside him too. "Of course," the older man mumbled but Tobio paid no heed as he eyed the bright red signage of the Newdays convenience store for a moment before striding to the entrance.

The cool air from the store's air conditioning blew at their faces, cooling their sweaty faces. Tobio gave a swift once-over the whole store before walking towards the cashier where a lone young man lounged, a glossy magazine with scantily clad women opened on his lap.

Tobio cleared his throat. "Excuse me," he mumbled at the cashier who looked up. The detective eyed his undercut blonde hair with distaste before flashing his badge. "I need to speak to the manager."

The cashier's eyes flicked to his badge for a second before shrugging, returning his attention back to the erotic magazine. "Manager's rarely here," he said and Tobik caught a glimpse of a silver ball on his tongue peeking through his teeth. "I'm usually the only one working this shift."

Tobio gave a long, annoyed sigh. He opened his mouth but Akaashi took the chance to cut him off. "Perhaps you can help us," he said and the cashier looked up again to give Akaashi a once over before smirking.

"What do you need, detective?"

"We're looking for a young woman who's reported missing. Around a hundred and fifty centimetres, shirt blonde hair, brown eyes, slight build. She's been using this exit to Keio University for the past few days and usually carries an A3 board with her. Have you seen her today?"

The cashier hummed thoughtfully, finally closing the magazine and placing it on the desk. Tobio's eyes caught the shiny gleam of his name tag which read Terushima.

"Nope, don't recognise her," Terushima said finally, giving a careless shrug towards the detectives. "I don't think she's ever entered the mart, though."

A thought landed in Tobio's mind. "What about someone suspicious who's been lurking around the area for the past week?"

Something shifted in Terushima expression and his careless air dissipated. He eyed the detective. "How suspicious are we talking about?" He asked and Tobio reached around his pockets to pull out the photo of Daishou and Mika.

"What about this man? Have you seen him around here lately?"

A sudden recognition sparked in the cashier's eyes and Tobio heard Akaashi take in a sharp breath.

"I've seen him."

A shiver ran down Tobio's spine as he leaned forward over the counter. "Where?" He asked, his tone harsher than intended before he tried calming down. "Where have you seen him?"

The blond cashier jerked his chin forward towards the magazine stands. "I've seen him before sometimes. But he's been standing by the magazine stands almost every day this past week around the same time. He never buys anything, and would usually leave when the crowd comes into the station." He paused and eyed the wall clock behind him. "Around seven in the evening usually. That's when I start my shift."

Tobio felt his heart beat wildly in his chest. Blood pounding, he swallowed thickly. "What about today?" He asked hoarsely. He could feel tension coiling beside him and gave a quick glance to see Akaashi's unusually sombre expression.

Terushima shook his head. "He didn't come in today."

"Is there any information you could provide us about Daishou?" Akaashi spoke up, his voice teetering over urgency. "Like credit card information, or a home address?"

Terushima gave another hum, cocking his head slightly to regard Akaashi. "His name's Daishou?"

"Daishou Suguru," Tobio supplied and that seemed to be all Terushima needed as he opened a drawer to pull out a file.

"I'm not sure if this is the right Daishou you're looking for," he began as he flipped through the file. Tobio noticed those papers inside were customer order forms. "A few weeks back he came in to ask for the latest issue of Volleyball Monthly. I told him it was sold out and would not be restocked unless you place an order for it. He left after that but when I came in the next day my colleague passed me the order chit for a copy of Volleyball Monthly. Aha!" A triumphant exhale before he pulled out the slip of paper from the file and handed it to the detectives. Tobio took it with shaky fingers as he smoothed it out to read.

The neat kanji for Daishou Suguru stood darkly against the faded ink of the order slip. He let his eyes roam down the particulars. His date of birth matched his current age and his address was for one of the smaller streets nearer to Yoyogi, not far from Shinjuku National Garden. "It's him," Tobio whispered. "It has to be him." He looked up to Akaashi to see the older man nodding.

"Let's go," Akaashi said as he walked towards the exit. Tobio moved to follow him only to be stopped by a hand on his elbow. He turned to find Terushima watching him.

"I'm not actually supposed to give out customer's details," the blonde chuckled, licking his lips nervously, his piercing catching between his teeth. "So could I have the order slip back?"

Tobio blinked, "We'll return it when we're done," he said.

Terushima eyed him for a moment before sighing. "I suppose the manager wouldn't ask for the file anytime soon," he relented, letting go of Tobio's elbow and picking up the magazine on the counter once again. "As long as it's not lost, or I'll be a dead man."

Tobio nodded absentmindedly and rushed to catch up to Akaashi, blood pounding in his ears.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

He sighed, tipping his head back and feeling the tingle of pleasure running down his spine. It has been a while since he felt this good. The night with Mikoto had been great but he hadn't felt the rush of excitement reaching the ends of his fingertips and the hairs on his scalp like this. The gullible ones were the most fun, he decided, smiling to himself.

A pained whimper from behind him sent another thrill down his spine and he turned, opening his eyes to take in the sight of dear Hitoka.

It had been easy grabbing her in broad daylight. In a darkened alley at the deepest parts of Shinjuku, where pubs and izakayas stood way before their opening times, he had grabbed her from behind, hand covering her mouth before she even had the chance to scream. She had struggled, but the stupid board she was carrying hindered her movements and it didn't take long for her to lose conscious, falling limp in his hands. He had discarded the board in the big trash bin behind one of the pubs before carrying her piggyback style down the road. No one suspected anything, barely giving him a glance, possibly thinking he was merely carrying a sleeping lover on his back. The ignorance of these people made him sneer as he strolled back home slowly before Hitoka woke up.

He eyed his masterpiece with pride. Sitting on a wooden arm chair, bound and gagged, was a teary Hitoka. He had gotten rid of her awful denim dungarees, and dressed her in a white satin top with a high waist skirt. He had combed down her hair, ridding it of the hideous hair tie. With that, she looked sweet-- just like how Mika used to be. He reached out to trace his fingers down her cheek. Hitoka flinched at the contact but with her bound, she couldn't move away when he caressed her face, the pads of his fingers pressing down the supple cheeks. She sobbed, muffled around her cloth gag and he couldn't help but chuckle.

"You're so cute, Hitoka-chan," he breathed out and the girl moaned weakly, fresh tears springing from the corners of her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. And she was, he thought, as he pushed her hair back behind her ear, watching her reddened cheeks and nose. "But not as cute as Mika-chan," he mumbled, stepping back to take in her whole body.

The duct tapes on her wrists by the arm rests had frayed slightly with her constant tugging, the friction making her wrists red. With her palms facing upwards, he watched as they clenched and opened, bony fingers and all. His smile widened when another fresh sobbed wracked her body, only to be muffled by the gag. It was pathetically beautiful and he wanted to hear more of it.

He turned away from the sobbing girl and strode to the table pushed against the wall, where a wad of Nohebi Academy paper pad, a blue ball point pen and a big cutter was laid. He picked the cutter up, throwing from one hand to another, as if testing its weight. He remembered holding the cutter that day many years ago where he had picked it up from the bathroom floor, flooded with diluted blood and the overflowing tap water from the tub. He remembered seeing Mika-chan's lifeless body, so pale that she looked ethereal under the harsh industrial lights, with eyes closed as if she was sleeping under the water. He gave a shaky sigh as he put that memory at the front of his thoughts, his stomach coiling in anticipation.

"You know, Hitoka-chan, Mika-chan wasn't like any other girls," he began conversationally, studying the plastic body of the cutter in mild interest. "Kind and sweet... Although we broke up for a while before getting back together, she understood me."

"Volleyball was my passion then, and she understood what it meant to me. She was supportive, even after I failed to get a sports recommendation to a local University and opted to study overseas," he trailed off and unconsciously gripped the cutter tighter.

"I thought we were happy."

He turned to face the sobbing girl. He regarded the shine in her brown eyes with a shiver of excitement, the tear tracks wetting her soft cheeks. Slowly, he brought the cutter up to eye level and pushed the blade out. In the background, a flicked of fear flashed in Hitoka's eyes and he grinned. _Yes!_ That was what he was looking for! The fear of not knowing what their fate would be and then finally, complete helplessness as life was drained away from them.

He stepped forward and that seemed to have shaken Hitoka out of a stupor for she began struggling against her bindings once again, groans muffled under her gag and tears flowing freely now. He sneered in amusement before crouching in front of her once he reached her.

"The morning that day had begun as per normal," he hummed, playing with the cutter and letting it catch the light. "I kissed her goodbye before leaving for work. I picked up dinner and got her a bouquet of flowers - it was our anniversary, you see... But I came home to find the tub overflowing and Mika-chan asleep in it."

Suddenly he grabbed one of Hitoka's wrists and brought the cutter down, pressing hard against the thin skin then and slicing it open. Hitoka's scream of pain remained muffled but he paid no attention to it as he watched fresh, red blood seeped out and collected under her wrists before dripping onto the floor. "Just a generic suicide left on the counter top that didn't explain why she did it," he continued, anger slowly colouring his voice. "And I had to find out she was carrying my child after the autopsy."

He slashed Hitoka's other wrist, this time watching her eyes squeezed shut in pain, her breath shallow and felt the pleasant tingling sensation running down his spine. He smiled widely, standing up slowly before hovering over the girl, his face a mere centimetres away from hers. He watched the tears clinging at the corners of her eyes and chuckled.

"The funny thing was," he whispered next to her ear, noting in satisfaction in how she flinched from him. "I thought she looked the most beautiful then, dead to the world and lungs filled with water." Dropping the cutter, he brought his hands around Hitoka's neck, caressing the skin there slightly before adding a bit of pressure. He heard her chocked breath and his smile widened even more.

"So let's see how beautiful you'll look by then."

He caught the glimpse of fear once more in her eyes and squeezed---

_Ding dong!_

The doorbell rang.

He paused and frowned. He wasn't expecting any company tonight so who-?

The doorbell rang again.

Sighing in frustration, he removed his hands from her neck, and watched her sputter for air around the gag. "I'll be right back," he muttered and left the attic, scowling as the bell rang another time.

He opened the door slightly without looking through the peephole and was met with two formally clothed men at his doorstep. He recognised the one who rang the bell - with his dark, straight hair and bright blue eyes and unconsciously gripped the doorknob tightly.

_Detectives._

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are loved!!
> 
> I'm on [tumblr](http://forever-wonder2.tumblr.com/) if you wanna talk to me about my fics or anything Haikyuu!!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not my best chapter, so if there's any mistakes, please let me know!
> 
> I'm on [tumblr](http://forever-wonder2.tumblr.com/) if you wanna talk to me about my fics or anything Haikyuu!!

"Wait, Kageyama!" Akaashi grabbed onto the sleeve of Tobio's shirt to prevent him from leaving the car. Tobio looked over to the other man reluctantly to find him frowning.

"This is it, Akaashi-san. We have to go get Yachi," he said although he made no attempts to pull his sleeve away from Akaashi's grip. They were parked down the road where Daishou's house was situated, the two storey house inconspicuous in the neighbourhood. The street was very dark, the streetlamps not giving much light. There was no sight of anyone strolling around this late at night and he could see lights off in most houses. "We're so close to getting him-"

"I know you're eager to break his door down but we can't. We have to wait for back up." It was then that Tobio noticed Akaashi was on the phone, his eyebrows furrowing as the dial tone to the station continued to ring. He knew of course that it was procedural, yet there was a gnawing feeling eating at him, warning him that something bad would happen if he didn't rush to the house now.

"Damn it."

He turned to find Akaashi furiously searching through his contact list, murmuring to himself. "What's wrong?" he asked the older man who shook his head.

"Call wouldn't get through. I'm trying to call anyone who's in the office now," Akaashi replied as he dialled another number, which Tobio recognised as Kuroo's just as he placed his phone to his ear.

But the call remained unanswered and Akaashi yanked his phone from his ear, cursing under his breath. He had started keying in the next number when Tobio could no longer have it as he unbuckled his seatbelt and opened for door.

"Wha- Kageyama!"

It was rare to hear Akaashi actually shout but Tobio couldn't care at the moment, not when the bad feeling continued to gnaw at him, feeding him thoughts of dead girls in parks. He heard the door slammed shut behind him but continued to walk down the street towards the house until the older detective caught up, grabbing the younger man by the shoulder and pulling him aside, away from the dim streetlights.

The frustration in Akaashi's expression was palpable. "What are you doing?" he hissed, fingers digging into his shoulder while another hand was pressing his phone against his ear, the dialling tone droning on.

Tobio winced slightly but refused to be intimidated. "We're wasting time, Akaashi-san," he growled, his own feelings of frustration boiling. "We need to get there now."

"We can't," the older detective countered. "It's dangerous going in blind. We don't even know if it's the right person or if Yachi's really kidnapped by him."

It was a possibility that Tobio had dismissed the moment he had received the grim news. Not when the bad feeling had taken residence in his gut. He shook his head furiously. "It’s definitely him. And I have a bad feeling that by the time we get back up we'll be too late."

Akaashi's eyed narrowed, his lips tightened to a straight line. He seemed to be wavering, so close to following Tobio down Daishou's house, backup be damned. But the continued dial tone in his ear kept at his resolve, and he shook his head slowly.

"We need to wait," he said, more to convince himself than Tobio.

"Yachi could be dead by then!" Tobio yelled in frustration, bringing a hand to grip Akaashi's wrist where it rested against his shoulder. The older man averted his eyes, moving his head slowly.

_"Akaashi-san!"_

Was it the broken waver of his voice, or the dial tone going dead in Akaashi's ear, Tobio didn't know, but it seemed to have crumbled Akaashi's resolve. The older man closed his eyes and took let out a long breath. His released his grip on Tobio's shoulder, killing the line on his phone before stowing it away. When he finally opened his eyes to lock gazes with him, the younger detective saw a look of determination in them.

"Let's go."

 

 

 

He rang the doorbell.

The silence that came afterword was deafening - with the still air, Tobio felt stifled. No one came to the door.

Tobio rang the bell again.

Another moment of silence before--

A thud from beyond the door. He heard Akaashi sucked in a sharp breath as he fidgeted beside him-- Tobio caught sight of the phone in the older man's hand still.

He rang it one more time before he finally heard it. Footsteps coming heavily down the stairs from beyond the door. Tobio unconsciously clenched his fist as he brought his hands to his sides just as the landing light behind the door was turned on, filling the doorstep with yellow light from the frosted panes at the sides of the door. He could practically feel his heart beating in his throat when the door finally unlocked, and a sliver of light was casted upon the two detectives for a second before a shadow loomed over them.

Tobio squinted against the light as he took in the features of man partially hidden behind the door. Pale and sallow, with dark hair brushed away from his face, narrow eyes and a pointy nose. It was the exact face that Tobio had been staring at in the picture in his pocket, the one that he had seen from the low-resolution photo on the school website, and the rough artist sketch that he had ordered for all those weeks ago,

It was Daishou.

Tobio could feel the tension coiling in him and caught Akaashi shifting slightly from his side. Yet no one said anything, Daishou's eyes flickering between the two detectives on his doorstep before he gave a smile that did not reach his eyes.

"Can I help you?"

The hairs on the back of Tobio's neck rose at the cold voice and he instantly disliked him. Clearing his throat and giving himself a mental shake, he flashed his badge at Daishou who did not react, his eyes fixed on the detective's face. He found it unnerving.

"I'm Detective Kageyama Tobio and this is Detective Akaashi, Are you Daishou Suguru?"

Daishou was silent for a moment before he nodded tersely.

"We have some questions for you so if don't mind, we will be escorting you to the station."

Daishou cocked his head sideways, a ghost of a smirk playing on his lips. "What for?" he asked simply, and Tobio paused, studying the sliver of his face he could see.

"We will explain once we reach the station, so if you please Daishou-san-"

"As much as I would love to follow you, detectives," Daishou interrupted airily. "But I don't think it is a good time now, it _is_ pretty late."

Tobio knew how late it was; he owned a damn watch for crying out loud. "I apologise," he gritted out, the bad feeling in his gut getting heavier the longer he lingered at the doorstep. "But this is urgent--"

"Please come back tomorrow, detectives," the man cut him off simply, smile wide yet cold as his eyes swept across Tobio's face and then to Akaashi. "If you'll excuse me..."

Whatever Tobio wanted to say next, with his frustration level overflowing and the bad feeling twisting his insides, he didn’t get to say it for there came a loud thud from somewhere deep in the house, followed by a loud crash, and then--

"HELP ME!!"

Tobio froze.

He saw the smile slid off Daishou's face in a flash and before he could even think, he put his hand out just as the man slammed the door shut. It bounced off the knuckles of his fingers hard and Tobio grunted out in pain. Akaashi was beside him in a second -- he shouldered the door, which then swung open with little resistance, the momentum toppling the two detectives on the _genkan_ of the house. It took a moment to reorientate himself before Tobio noticed Daishou had ran up the stairs. Without removing his shoes, Tobio gave chase.

"Kageyama--!"

_"Call back-up now!"_ Tobio hollered over his shoulder before sprinting up the stairs, Blood was pounding loudly in his ears but it didn't manage to block out the feminine screamed that echoed in the quiet house once again.

"HELP--!"

_"YOU BITCH!"_

The roar of Daishou's voice made his blood pound even harder as he reached the second floor landing. He took in the surroundings to find no sign of Daishou, the rooms dark except for a dimmed light at the end of the hallway.

_The attic._

By then the screams had turned into chocked gasps which made Tobio run even fasted, grabbing the ladder to the attic almost forcefully and all but hauled himself up.

The first this he saw was the broken glass on the floor. He didn't have time to wander where it came from before he saw the large body of Daishou kneeling over a slighter figure tied onto the toppled chair. A flash of blonde hair startled Tobio, his mind landing on one name--

_Yachi._

And Daishou was over her, his large hands wrapping tightly over her slim neck.

With a roar, Tobio dashed towards them, using his body weight to shove Daishou away. It worked, and the man released his bruising grip around Yachi's neck and landed a foot away with a pained grunt. Yachi hacked and sputtered, taking in air greedily as her windpipe opened. The detective had just enough time to notice the trickling red blood from her upturned wrists before something hard and solid tackled him and the two men fell onto the floor with a painful thud. Winded, Tobio scrambled to get on his feet but Daishou was already straddling him. His eyes widened when he saw the man, narrow eyes now wide with rage, pulled a fist back and punched him squarely on the nose.

Tobio groaned, with stars bursting behind his eyelids and the pain searing from his nose. The punch stunned had stunned him for a moment, but that was all Daishou needed to wrap his hand round his neck. The crushing grip had the detective chocked on air, and he waved his arms above him, scrambling to frantically push the other man away.

"Geroff--!"

Footsteps thundered in, and the next thing Tobio knew, the pressure on his neck lessened as Daishou was thrown of him. He coughed, rolling over just as Akaashi pinned an unconscious Daishou on the front, pulling his arms behind him before pulling out a pair of handcuffs. The older detective was breathing heavily, his eyebrows pinched together as he looked over to Tobio. "You alright?" he asked and Tobio could only nod mutely, the pain in his neck making it hard to swallow.

A soft whimper caught his attention and he scrambled off the floor almost immediately, running to where Yachi still lay bound in the chair. Without hesitation he ripped off the tapes on her wrists and ankles, very carefully avoiding the deep slash wounds there. Yachi had her eyes squeezed shut, tears flowing freely from the corners, her face white as sheet. Tobio cringed at the sight of the forming bruise around her neck and gently placed a hand on her cheek, causing her to flinch away from the touch and whimper.

Tobio swallowed. "Yachi-san," he whispered hoarsely, ignoring the pain in his throat as he tried to placate the crying girl. "It's me. We're here to save you." The blonde let out a shuddering breath as fresh tears sprang, but she blinked up furiously, trying to see past her tears.

"K-ka-kageyam-a-kun..," she whispered weakly once she focused her attention on him and Tobio nodded furiously, trying to ignore the bad feeling in his stomach which was slowly dissipating.

"Yeah," he mumbled, taking in her frightened brown eyes and gently swept her blonde hair from her forehead. "We're here."

Yachi sobbed, and the next thing Tobio knew, she had launched herself from where she was, clinging onto his shirt as she wailed. Tobio wrapped his arms round her slowly, giving her an awkward pat in the back as tears and blood seeped into his clothes. But with the crying girl now safe in his arms and the bad feeling that had plagued him finally gone, the detective didn't care.

"It's okay," he mumbled as soothingly as he could to the crying Yachi as he distractedly heard Akaashi call for back up and ambulance. "... We got you."

 

 

 

It didn't take long the ambulance to arrive and eased Yachi into the vehicle, who had clung onto Tobio the whole time while they waited, with the detective assuring that he would inform Yamaguchi of what had happened and that he would come see her once he had everything wrapped up in the house. He was just receiving medical attention from a paramedic who had bandaged his sprained fingers where it had jammed against the door and the bleeding nose which he hadn’t realised until the paramedic pointed it out when Chief Nekomata came, Akaashi by his side. Tobio stood up hastily, ignoring the paramedic's surprised yelp as he bowed low in greeting.

"Chief!"

The chief raised a hand and Tobio stood up straight, waiting for the old man to say something. The elderly man eyed him critically, and Tobio hated the fact that he could never read his thoughts.

"So," he began and Tobio straightened unconsciously. "Akaashi told me that you hadn’t wanted to follow protocol before you engaged Daishou."

The older detective had the decency to look ashamed at throwing Tobio under the bus, fidgeting slightly beside the chief but Tobio didn't blame him.

"That is correct," Tobio said, eyes flicking briefly to Akaashi before returning to the chief. “Akaashi-san had tried stopping me countless times, but I was afraid that the victim could be dead by the time help had arrived and I couldn’t risk that."

The chief continued to eye him for a moment longer, causing the younger man to start squirming under his gaze before he sighed and shook his head.

"We had a drug raid on the Yamagata clan earlier, and then a hostage situation.  I was down there myself with a few others," he explained before giving Tobio a wry smile. "Good work here-- the both of you."

There was a light feeling in his chest, as if a load had finally been lifted from his shoulders as he bowed low again, unable to keep a shaky smile from his face. "Thank you!"

The chief left then, leaving the two detective on their own. Akaashi caught his eye and nodded towards his nose.  "You alright?"

Tobio nodded, gingerly tapping the bridge of his nose and let in a sharp breath when pain shot through under his finger. "I didn't realise it. Luckily it isn't broken."

Akaashi gave him a ghost of a smile. "That's great," he began, scratching the back of his neck. "Kageyama," he paused, looking as uncertain as Tobio had ever seen him. "I'm sorry."

Tobio cocked his head sideways, confused. "Why? You did the right thing, wanting to follow procedure. If anything I should apologise for my reckless behaviour," he said, bowing his head slightly in apology. "Sorry for all the trouble Akaashi-san."

The older detective waved him off, a small smile on his face. "It doesn't matter now," he said. "We did catch Daishou and saved Yachi after all. That's all there is to it."

Tobio relaxed and nodded. Then remembering that he had promised Yachi to call Yamaguchi, he gave a hasty bow to Akaashi.  "Sorry-- I need to make a phone call--"

"To Yamaguchi-kun? I've called him when you were being patched up," Akaashi nodded. "Go and see them at the hospital. I'll wrap things up here."

Eternally grateful to the older man, Tobio nodded. "Thank you!"

 

 

 

Yachi had already been placed in a room when he arrived. Tobio opened the door to her room to find Yamaguchi and herself in a tight embrace, her silently crying and him whispering soothing words in her hair. The scene tugged at his heartstrings and his stomach did a flip and he cleared his throat, breaking the serene scene in front of him. The two looked over to him and immediately Yamaguchi jumped to his feet, relief washing over his face as he gripped Tobio's hands the moment he was in front of the detective.

"Thank you," his voice wavered as he whispered, and there was a shiny sheen in his eyes but Tobio ignored it, nodding.

"I'll give you some time alone," he said and smiled hesitantly at Yachi who returned him a wobbly smile. Her wounds on her wrists had been cleaned and bandaged, but the purple bruise on her neck stood out on her pale skin. He would have time to question her in a moment, but for now, Tobio left the couple in the room and leaned against the wall outside, sighing deeply.

In all of his cases thus far, Tobio had managed to detach his personal feelings from the cases. Yet today, he couldn't help but feel the rising panic in him at every second since Yachi was taken. Was it because he knew Yachi that he couldn't put aside his personal feelings from the case? Even to the point where Akaashi had to threaten him with the chief pulling him off the case?

And Yamaguchi... he had to be the one who was the most worried. Unable to do anything but wait for news, either good or bad, to come at him... Tobio didn't know if he could do the same. Then the sudden thought of Hinata going missing seized his being entirely, and the detective felt a shiver of fear. Would he have acted as how Yamaguchi had? Or would he been reckless as he had been earlier, ignoring protocols to save someone he loved?

His thoughts came to a screeching halt at that.

Someone he loved?

How could that be possible?

But the thought of a smiling Hinata bruised and bloodied left him cold and hot with rage at the same time and Tobio could no longer deny the fluttering feeling in his chest. Hinata was like the sun in his life, the bright light that shone during the darkness times of his life. His days were never complete without a friendly banter with the intern, and just being near him filled him with warmth.

Hinata was his sunny place.

Tobio dragged his uninjured hand down his face, breathing deeply. He loved Hinata; that realisation drowned every other thoughts in his mind. He loved the other that he wanted to hold his hand, to spend days together, to kiss--

"Kageyama!"

Startled, Tobio jerked away from the wall he was perched on and turned to find the intern running to him, eyes wide and shirt untucked. He skidded to a halt in front of the detective and Tobio noted that the shorter man was sweating heavily. Hinata looked up at him, his brown eyes wide and tinged with fear. "Yachi-san...”

Tobio nodded, not trusting himself to speak yet. Almost as once, Hinata's expression broke, relief spilling out. He hastily wiped a tear from the corner of his eyes.  "I'm glad," he whispered, his smile shaky.

The detective nodded again.  "Yamaguchi's with her now," he said and Hinata looked at him, smiling, albeit cheekily.

"Even Kageyama-kun is sensitive enough to give them some time together, huh," he teased, nudging Tobio lightly on his side. The detective shoved at him gently in response, scrunching his nose in annoyance.

"Shut up, dumbass."

Hinata didn't take offence to the insult, letting out a laugh. It must be due to the relief, for his eyes glistened under the fluorescent lights of the hospital hallway, as his laughter tapered off,  a soft smile on his lips.

"Thank you, Kageyama," he said, warmth in his eyes that made Tobio's neck heat up. "I knew you were great."

It was too much, with the way Hinata was looking at him so gently, as if he _knew_ , that his chest tightened, and the fluttering made it hard for him to breathe. He loved him. He really loved him.

"I love you."

It was the shock that suddenly overcame Hinata's gentle expression that Tobio realised that he had said it out loud. The two of them froze, eyes wide staring at each other. Tobio's mind was in overdrive; how could he salvage this?

"I--"

But Tobio realised he didn't want to take back what he had said because it was true. He did have feelings for Hinata and even though he tried convincing Tsukishima and himself all those months ago that it wouldn't work out, he wanted them to.

He closed his mouth, clearing his throat to steel himself. Then, with an unwavering gaze, he turned fully to Hinata who was still staring at him with wide eyes.

"I love you," Tobio said again, this time clearly and consciously. Saying it out loud made it more real, acknowledging the many days the sun shone too brightly, cementing these feelings he tried to ignore at first. Hinata hadn't said anything, his mouth parted with a silent "oh" that Tobio wished he could take his chin in his hand and bring the intern up for a kiss. His heart thudded loudly against his rib cage and the detective had to clench his fist to keep his hands from shaking.

It was a while before Hinata let his head hand forward, hiding his expression behind his orange hair. His hands were held in front of his body, as if shielding himself from Tobio. Then the intern took in a shaky breath and Tobio braced himself--

"I'm sorry."

The words came out soft, too soft, and if the detective hadn't been paying attention he would have missed it entirely.  But he had been paying attention, and suddenly it was like his whole world crash down onto him. The weightlessness he had felt dissipated, leaving him cold and stunned. He stood frozen as Hinata finally looked up, cheeks red and expression pained, his lips moving and hearing it loud and clear this time:

"I'm sorry.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Akaashi's the MVP here, ngl.
> 
> By the way, I'm planning to add some more stories to this AU, so if you haven't done so, do subscribe to the series so that you won't miss anything!
> 
> It's not over yet!
> 
> I'm on [tumblr](http://forever-wonder2.tumblr.com/) if you wanna talk to me about my fics or anything Haikyuu!!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your kudos and comments on this fic. I really enjoyed reading what you think about this story and it really motivates me to continue writing.
> 
> Here's a second update for this week. We're almost reaching the finish line!
> 
> I'm on [tumblr](http://forever-wonder2.tumblr.com/) if you wanna talk to me about my fics or anything Haikyuu!!

Tobio swore under his breath, bringing his stinging thumb up to eye level to examine the papercut. It was long and deep, and he could see the droplets of blood reaching the surface of his skin. Cursing again, he sucked his thumb, tossing the offending report that had so nicely given him the papercut onto his desk. The paper shifted under the overhead fan and the Tobio caught sight of the red stamp he had pressed into the paper just moments earlier.

**Case closed.**

Daishou had been caught and would stand trial shortly. There was no way he was getting out of this - not with the numerous evidence of other victims found stashed away in one of the rooms in the house and a living, breathing victim testifying. The chief had commended him and Akaashi as Tobio had more people coming up to him to congratulate him this past week than the last few years he had worked here.

Tobio removed the thumb from his mouth to examine the cut. Copious amount of saliva coated the tip of his thumb and he scrunched his nose at the sight of his pruned skin, but the bleeding has stopped. He would have to wash up and slap on a band aid.

"Kageyama!"

At the sound of his name, the detective turned to find Sawamura walking over to him.

"Yes?" he asked politely once the older man had reached him, taking a piece of tissue from Kuroo's desk to wipe his thumb dry.

Sawamura scratched the back of his head, frowning as he studied Tobio's expression. "You alright? You seemed a little off lately."

Tobio tried to school his expression as neutral as he could, although it made him look more constipated than indifferent. He shrugged and mumbled, "Tired, I guess."

Sawamura nodded in understanding and flashed him an empathetic smile. "You've just closed a big case, it's no surprise you're drain. Although you could have taken a few days of break like Akaashi did," he observed before shaking his head. "Enough of that though. I wanted to ask if you've seen Hinata around. He left a stack of reports undone and I can't find him."

Tobio tensed at the sound of Hinata's name. He quickly recovered, shaking his head and tossing the crumpled tissue paper into the wastebasket with more force than needed. "Why would I know where that dumbass went?" he gritted out, unable to fully keep the anger out of his voice.

Sawamura didn't comment on the tone, though he cocked his head sideways to regard the younger detective curiously. "You two would usually be together in the office, no? So I thought you'd know where he went," he paused. "Did something happen between you two?"

" _No_ ," Tobio bit out before forcing himself to calm down. "I haven't seen him," he mumbled in the end, averting his eyes to the floor.

Sawamura hummed and shrugged. "Okay then. I'll ask Matsukawa. If you see him, let him know I'm looking for him? He's starting to slack on his work. "

Tobio gave a terse nod and excuse himself to the restroom before Sawamura could question him further. He only allowed himself to relax once he shut the restroom door, leaning on it and knocking his head backwards on the wood. Sighing, he dragged a hand down his face as he recalled what had happened a few days prior, in the hospital.

_"I'm sorry."_

_The voice rang loud and clear in the narrow ward corridor. Tobio's heart dropped down to his stomach as Hinata's pained gaze pierced through him. Tobio opened his mouth, but words failed him. Hinata took the opportunity to avert his gaze away, his hand fiddling with his loose tie._

_"I-," Hinata paused, struggling internally to find the words he wanted to say. "I'm Sorry- I can't-not now-"_

_But every word was like salt to the wound and Tobio had enough. He brought a hand over and covered the intern's mouth, ignoring his surprised gasp and how soft his lips felt._

_"Stop," Tobio mumbled, his head hanging so his hair covered his face. "That's enough."_

_He took a deep breath and looked up, meeting Hinata's regretful expression squarely. "Just forget it," he said again, ignoring how his voiced wavered at the end. Hinata made a move to say something, his mouth opening against his palm but the detective didn't want to hear anything else, and promptly turned on his heel and left. He ignored the intern's call and walked out, wandering around and coming back to question Yachi a few hours later, when he was sure the other man was on longer there._

Tobio sighed again.

It had been a week since, and he had tried his best to avoid the intern at work, either by pouring over the last few details of the serial killer case, or by taking on simple cases that required him to be out of the station. He didn't take leave like Akaashi, because he knew that being by himself would cause more unwanted thoughts to come. Lightly hitting the back of his head against the wooden door once again, Tobio gathered himself. He would have to remain perfectly calm at work, and try not to cross paths with Hinata; which had been easy though, and Tobio suspected that he had been avoiding the detective as well. If they did cross paths, he would be civil enough to hold a conversation with him.

His phone buzzed.

He took out his phone from his pocket, remembered belatedly that he hadn't washed his thumb, and peered at the text message. It was an unsaved number, but it was a familiar line of numbers which Tobio stared at for a moment. Then, it clicked. Eyes wide, Tobio skimmed through the text message.

_Tobio-chan, are you free any time soon?_

Still surprised at the unexpected text, Tobio pursed his lip as he typed his reply.

 

 

 

Hinata sighed and closed his eyes. He had his head on the desk, his cheek resting on the cool surface as he listened to the silence of the room save for the occasional tapping on fingers on a smartphone. His thoughts were in disarray and he couldn't concentrate on work since _that_ day. He sighed again.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong, Shouyou?"

The tapping fingers have stopped and Hinata raised his head to look at Kenma from across his desk. The Medical Officer was watching him curiously, and with his big, cat-like eyes, Hinata felt as if he were like a cat studying his every move. He hesitated, wondering if he should tell him what had been bothering him since the case with Yachi. After all, he had been using Kenma's office as his hideout in his bid to avoid a certain blue-eyed detective.

Kenma was still staring at him silently and unnerved by the stare, the intern blurted out, "Kageyama confessed to me."

The blond stared at him still, blinking slowly. "I see," he said after a few moments of silence, before looking down at his phone again. "And then what happened?"

"I... think I might have rejected him?"

Kenma paused and Hinata swallowed, fidgeting slightly when their eyes met, the medical officer had an eyebrow raised. "You think?"

The intern sighed, flailing his arms in frustration. "I don't know really! He suddenly sprang it out of the blue at the hospital and I might have panicked—“

"Shouyou,” Kenma cut him off and Hinata noticed that he had put aside his phone, his whole attention on the intern. "What did Kageyama say?"

The shorter man cringed as he remembered the scene. A visibly upset detective whom he admired, and the feeling of his palm over his lips, rough with callous. "He," his voice cracked slightly and Hinata hastily swallowed, "he told me to forget about it."

He had been surprised, when Kageyama had blurted out his confession there and then. The sight of a determined detective, with his unwavering gaze boring into his soul, had left him feeling a warmth spreading from his core to the tips of his fingers. But...

"I've never been confessed to before," he said, lowering his gaze to his hands playing on the hems of his shirt. "I've never even been in a relationship before. It was a first for me... And I panicked."

"But how do you feel about him, Shouyou?"

Kenma's soft voice brought up the image of a stunned Kageyama to mind, before hurt clouded the detective's expression. Hinata's heart ached at the memory.

"I don't know," he mumbled finally, flexing his fingers and watching the motions with rapt attention. "I've been avoiding him because I didn't want anything between us to be awkward. But I can't forget about it."

Kenma sighed and leaned into his chair. He brought his phone towards him, as if already bored with the conversation. "I should become a counsellor or something," he mumbled. "First Kuro, then Akaashi..." he trailed off when he looked over to Hinata once again who had finally looked up, feeling lost and confused.

"What should I do, Kenma?”

The medical officer gave him a sympathetic look and slowly shook his head.

"I don't know, Shouyou."

 

 

 

"0h-sorry, I..”

Tobio looked up from his lunch to find Hinata by the entrance of the break room. It had been a slow day for the detective, so for the first time in a long time, he had decided to take in lunch in the break room, away from the pending reports for a moment of reprieve. The room had been blissfully empty, which meant Tobio didn't need to engage in small talk with his colleagues, until—

Hinata was fidgeting where he stood, his hands wrapped around a printed lunch box bag. Tobio swallowed quickly, coughing briefly when some food particle ended up in the wrong tube. "No--," he gasped, reaching blindly for his drink while gesturing frantically at the empty seat in front of him. "Go—go ahead."

The intern looked torn, his eyes flicking between the chair and him, and it was a while before he hesitantly stepped into the break room and sidled into the seat opposite him. Tobio had downed the whole glass of water and cleared his throat, trying to pull himself together and act nonchalant. But it was hard with the tension between them, the silence that was just too heavy hanging in the air as their eyes were fixed on their own food.

Tobio finished the rest of his food without incident and moved to clear the table when Hinata finally broke the silence.

"Uhm..!"

The detective paused, his eyes flickered to Hinata who was fidgeting in his seat, his head bowed to his lunch box. He didn't say anything and waited, watched as the intern struggled to find words.

"I... Have the report from the chief ready," he finished lamely, and Tobio felt his shoulders sag, in relief or disappointment, he didn't know, but he found himself nodding slightly when Hinata peeked up at him.

"Alright. I'll... Get them from you later," he said and Hinata nodded and the heavy silence returned after their stilted conversation. Tobio used the opportunity to excuse himself and beat a hasty retreat, and he didn't stop until he had reached his desk, exhale long.

There was a pat on his back and he turned to find Sawamura smiling politely at him, a cup of coffee in his hand. "You're alright?" The older man asked and Tobio could only nod mutely. But that seemed enough for Sawamura who flashed him another smile before making his way to the chief's office.

Slowly he felt his shoulders relax and he slumped into his chair, running a hand through his hair. The conversation surfaced in his mind and Tobio cringed as he remembered the awkward air between them. It had been weeks since the failed confession, and from the looks of it, the detective doubted the two of them could go back to how they were before.

"Dumbass," he groaned into his hand, not sure if it was to himself or Hinata, and rubbed at his eyes tiredly.

His phone buzzed in his pocket and Tobio pulled it with difficulty to open the text message without looking at the sender's name. It contained the address to one of the pubs nearby the station with a line of text at the bottom.

_Don't be late tonight~_ _☆_

He could practically hear the sender's voice in those few words and scowled at his phone. "I won't," he mumbled petulantly to the screen.

 

 

 

It was another six hours before Tobio was done with his shift.

He tidied his desk, turned his computer off and bid farewell to Sawamura looked half-asleep in front of his desk, blinking furiously to focus on the report on hand. All the while without a sight of a mop of orange-hair around.

Hinata had dropped the report he mentioned on his desk after lunch and promptly left without another word, leaving the detective to stare at his back until he turned a corner, where he remained unseen throughout the rest of his shift. Sawamura had mumbled about Hinata slacking off, his work becoming increasingly riddled with errors and Tobio had half a mind to wonder if the intern was still affected by the confession but squashed the thought almost immediately.

He had confessed and was rejected. That was all there was to it.

He shook the thoughts out of his head as he headed out, taking note of Akaashi's empty desk and greeting Kuroo when he bumped into the taller man at the entrance of the station.

The late evening was balmy, and considering it was well on its way into autumn, Tobio felt too warm under his jacket. He tugged off his necktie and undid his top button as he walked to the train station, avoiding eye contact with the salarymen heading the same way. He got off one station over, his feet wandering to the address almost automatically, like muscle memory from years spent walking the same route during his university years.  Ducking into a smaller alley and coming to a stop in front of a small pub, Tobio was overcome with nostalgia, sitting long hours in the pub, chatting or celebrating a tournament win with friends.

He stepped in, letting his eyes adjust to the dimmed lighting inside. The humidity of the outside weather was absent in here and he let himself relax, scanning the room and taking in groups of businessmen huddled around tables, socialising—

"About time. I told you not to be late, Tobio-chan."

There was an annoyed huff that accompanied the mocking voice and Tobio turned his attention to the bar, to take in the sight of a tall and slender handsome man, perched at the bar, a drink already in his hand. He looked exactly how Tobio remembered him; dressed impeccably in a fitted suit, styled chestnut brown hair, big brown eyes which looked at him with disdain and thin lips smirking at him. Tobio sighed, already feeling annoyed underneath the silent admiration he always had for the man. He gave a short nod of greeting and looked at his ex-boyfriend in the eye.

"It’s been a long time, Oikawa-san."

 

 

 

When he first met Oikawa Tooru in middle school, Tobio's first impression was that he was _cool_. With a strong jump serve and captainship in the volleyball team, Tobio wanted nothing more than to be like him, and perhaps be even better. Even after finding out that he had a rotten personality, he still maintained a silent admiration for the older boy, eyes greedily taking in his form whenever he could witness Oikawa's jump serve.

That admiration remained as he grew up, even after the older boy graduated from middle school, although it became mixed with something akin to rivalry, as Tobio vowed to defeat him. Oikawa Tooru was his goal, and even though they stood across each other at opposite sides of the net in High school, he often wished he had Oikawa's skills.

When fate brought them together in university, Tobio realised that throughout the years, his admiration for the older man had always been mixed with something more, and intensified to something even bigger the more he got to know the other man. Rotten personality and all, Tobio couldn't find it in him to have any regrets when he fell into bed with Oikawa for the first time after a night filled with one too many celebratory drink. Neither did Oikawa, and it happened one more time before they officially started going out. Oikawa was the same as he had been when they dated; childish, unreasonable, and would never pass up a chance to ridicule Tobio. Yet in private, he was gentle, oh so gentle, and it broke Tobio's heart when the older man finally called it quits and left.

But five years was a long time, and Tobio had forgiven him, having no grudge against the other man. For he knew Oikawa was an insecure man, who would always protect himself first before caring about other people's feelings.

And to be contacted after a long time was a surprise to Tobio, and it soon turned into impatience when Oikawa hadn't explained the reason why he had contacted the detective after the first drink. The older man was flirting with the bartender in scoring a round of free drinks when Tobio downed his cup and cleared his throat to get his attention.

"Oikawa-san," he began, staring at the empty glass.  "Why have you contacted me?"

The other man hummed.  "Do I need a reason to get what to see my dearest kouhai?" he asked airily, causing Tobio to frown.

If there was one thing Tobio certainly knew of Oikawa Tooru, was that he was a prideful man. The kind who wouldn't accept help from others until he was close to collapsing and certainly not the kind to seek out an ex after so many years without a reason. But he didn't press the issue yet, accepting the second glass from Oikawa and taking a sip. The two sat in silence, letting the murmurings around them cocoon them and Tobio took the time to study the other man's profile.

Nothing has changed with Oikawa, except for the fact that his features are more defined than it had been five years ago, his jaw sharper now that the last of his baby fats has melted off. The childish gleam in his eyes that Tobio had taken note of whenever he had witnessed the older man had when he played volleyball had dimmed considerably, making him look mature and a lot more wiser. The detective hadn't managed to look away in time when Oikawa suddenly turned to face him and flushed at the teasing smirk he was subjected to.

"Like what you see?" Oikawa teased, leaning forward, purposely invading Tobio's personal while his cup of sake dangled from his fingers. Tobio frowned as he dodged, ridding the blush on his face.

"You haven't changed much, Oikawa-san," he said, his eyes fixed on his own drink before he downed it in one go. The alcohol burned the back of his throat but he paid no mind to it—with all the shit that had gone down during the past weeks, he definitely needed this.

Oikawa hummed before he himself downed his cup, smacking his lips together in approval. "Is that how it seems to you, Tobio?" he asked, fixing the younger man with a levelled stare. Unnerved, Tobio looked away as his cup was being refilled before Oikawa spoke again. "So what's been going on with my cute kouhai that made him look as though someone ran over his cat?"

The analogy made the detective scowl into his drink but the stare from Oikawa made it impossible to deny the allegations and soon he was spilling everything that had happened in the past few weeks, the alcohol in his system loosening his tongue as he revisited the painful memory of when he had his heart broken in the hospital ward hallway up till the first proper interaction earlier since forever. And Oikawa listened, his eyes either fixed on Tobio or his own drink at times, never interrupting the younger man in his tirade of words. Tobio felt a weight on his shoulders lifted as he poured his heart out, fumbling through words at times, trying to find the right expression, until his cup was empty and Oikawa placed a hand on his shoulder.

"That's enough for you to drink for the night, Tobio-chan," he said, his expression unreadable. Tobio nodded in agreement - even on his days off, he should be on standby in case anything happened - as he studied the older man's face. An absurd thought came to him and he frowned.

"Oikawa-san," he slurred, squinting at him. "You didn't contact me to ask us to get back together, did you?"

The question had Oikawa blinked wide-eyed at the detective before he threw his head back and let out a loud laugh, more genuine that most laughs he had heard from him. "Don't be silly, Tobio-chan," he chortled, wiping a tear from his eye as the last of the laugh faded. "I think we're past that stage a long time ago."

Tobio nodded, fixing his eyes on his empty glass. He pretended not to notice the burning feeling at the tips of his ears. "... then why did you contact me?"

He heard Oikawa hum, clinking his glass against the counter top. "I need a favour," he said at last, and Tobio caught the change in his tone. He peered into his face curiously. Gone were the traces of laughter just moments ago, and was now replaced with the tightening at the corner of his lips and the hardening of his chocolate brown eyes.

"What is it?"

Oikawa poured himself another cup of drink although he didn't take a sip. He watched the swirling liquid as he gathered his thoughts while Tobio waited. "I think I'm being stalked."

Tobio raised an eyebrow. "By whom?"

Oikawa shrugged. "Could be anyone. Aliens. Scorned exes of my clients, who were pretty unhappy with the divorce settlements, maybe. I realised I've been followed since two weeks ago."

Tobio frowned, facing forward. "Why didn't you make a police report?"

Oikawa turned to look at him incredulously. "I'm asking you, am I?" He said pointedly. "Besides, I'd rather not go through the whole thing, if word got out about this, no one would want to hire the services of our law firm."

Tobio grunted, running a hand through his hair. "I can't help you, Oikawa-san." At the older man's oncoming sneer, Tobio added quickly, "It's not my department that handles such case. You still need to go through the proper channels."

"Tobio," Oikawa hissed. "Did you not listen? I need this settled quickly. If I file a police report it's going to take forever."

The detective sighed as he tried to think of a way to mollify Oikawa. "Maybe," he started. "You can hire a private investigator?"

The suggestion was met with a thoughtful hum as Oikawa looked at him with interest. "Do you have a contact?"

"My senior colleague has one. I can get it from him the next time I see him," Tobio said, making a mental note to seek out Sawamura for Iwaizumi-san's contact details when he entered the station after his day off.

Oikawa seemed mollified, and relaxed in his seat. "Alright," he conceded, throwing back his drink and looking at the time. "It's getting late, let's go."

Tobio nodded and made to pay for his share, but rather older man batted his hand away, not looking at the detective as he handed the bartender his card. The two then left the pub, shivering slightly at the sudden chill in the air. The cool air helped clear his head from the fuzziness of the alcohol and they walked towards the train station. Neither said anything until they turned a corner and Oikawa spoke up.

"About chibi-chan," he began, his nickname for Hinata when Tobio told the story coming out smoothly and Tobio looked at the older man sharply. "Don't take it too hard. If it happens, it happens. If not, then there's nothing you can do about it."

Tobio eyed him a moment before turning to the front. "Easy for you to say," he mumbled, bitterness edging his tone slightly as he thought about the broken china cup in their shared apartment five years ago. Oikawa seemed to have noticed, for he slowed to a stop when they reached the entrance of the train station. Tobio slowed down too, turning to face the lawyer reluctantly. Oikawa had a thoughtful expression on his face as he looked at Tobio.

"You’re right," Oikawa said, taking the detective aback. "It is easy to say. I'm sorry."

Stunned, Tobio could only gape at Oikawa who stepped had forward, a hand brushing over his dark locks. He still had the thoughtful expression on his face when he locked gazes with the detective. "What I did five years ago wasn't right,” he began,  his hand sliding down to Tobio's face, his thumb tracing circles high on his cheekbones. Tobio hadn't moved an inch. "It was unfair to you, and you shouldn’t have to experience that again."

He then gave a soft smile. "So don't beat yourself up over it. If there is someone out there who could love your constipated mug unconditionally, that's when you don't let them go," Oikawa said, and patted Tobio's cheek roughly, and with that the moment disappeared just as quickly as it appeared.

Tobio blinked twice at the older man who had taken a few steps back, bringing his hand to touch the spot on his cheek where he had lightly patted. "What do you mean?" he asked slowly and Oikawa snorted.

"It seemed to me that your brain is as small as ever, Tobio-chan," he said but the teasing smirk on his face told the detective he wasn’t serious. "Why don't you mull over it for a while. The great Oikawa-san don't give out advise freely, you know." an announcement chimed from the station, announcing the last trains for the Yamamote line was approaching.

"Aaaand this is where we part," the older man exclaimed, clapping his hands together as he smiled at Tobio. "I'll be waiting for the PI's contact details, Tobio."

Tobio nodded. "I'll contact you soon, Oikawa-san," he said and gave a short bow. "Thank you for today."

Oikawa waved his hand flippantly. "You'll repay me one day," he said surely and walked to the station. "Now be a good boy and rest up. Stop sulking about chibi-chan."

"I'm not sulking," Tobio retorted to the older man retreating back, flustered. He received a chiming laugh and a wave without a look back. He watched until Oikawa was swallowed by the crowd and ran a hand through his hard.

Oikawa's words played in his head all the way back home.

 

 

 

Standing opposite the train station on the other side of the road, Hinata was rooted to the ground. His eyes were wide, staring at the spot where he had seen Kageyama with another man, a familiar face from the photos Yamaguchi had shown him of Kageyama's university volleyball team. He paid no mind to the passerbys around him, who clicked their tongues and mumbled about inconsiderate kids these days while walking around him. He paid no mind to anything around him, except for the roar in his ears and the unpleasant feeling coiling inside him.

The memory of seeing the other man's hand on Kageyama's cheek made him clench his fists tightly by his sides and his heart thudded loudly against his rib cage. Yet Hinata wondered why he felt this way. He never had felt such ugly emotions rising in him before.

Swallowing thickly, he dug his phone out of his pocket, texting the one person he felt could help him understand such emotions.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Oikawa and I'm so glad I can finally add him to this AU. 
> 
> Comments are loved!!
> 
> I'm on [tumblr](http://forever-wonder2.tumblr.com/) if you wanna talk to me about my fics or anything Haikyuu!!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The total number of chapters has been finalised -- next chapter will be the last!
> 
> I should be able to finish this fic before my exams starts in two weeks time. 
> 
> Fun fact: This chapter takes place during the beginning of [sugar and salt](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5263478). So there might be some overlapping with the other fic for those who have read it :)

Hinata stared into his cup of tea, his ears buzzing. His mind kept playing the scene he had witnessed in front of the train station—Kageyama with that man, and the man reaching out to touch the detective. His grip on the tea cup tightened as his chest constricted considerably, making it hard to breathe.

A pair of hands wrapped around his and slowly plucked the cup out of his grip. Hinata startled and looked up to find Yamaguchi watching him with concern. "You’ll hurt yourself like that," the freckled man said gently as he placed the cup on the coffee table.

What happened after that scene had been a blur to Hinata. He had texted Yachi that he was coming over then and had walked all the way to her and Yamaguchi's apartment in a daze. Yamaguchi had opened the door to him, inviting him inside and informing him that Yachi had turned in early today, and “ _yes you are always welcomed to stay the night.”_

He could hear Yamaguchi padding towards the bedroom, perhaps to check on Yachi for a moment before coming back and settling next to Hinata on the sofa. "So," he began and Hinata instinctively clenched his fists. "Hitoka said you wanted to talk to me."

The intern nodded, his eyes on his lap and his bottom lip between his teeth. He thought hard on how to broach the subject as Yamaguchi took his own cup of tea in his hands, sipping it tentatively, before deciding to just be out with it.

"Kageyama confessed to me."

He heard Yamaguchi choke and sputter from beside him but didn't look up, worrying his bottom lip still. He waited until the freckled man had finished coughing as he set his tea down, staring at Hinata with wide eyes.

"Huh?" Yamaguchi let out his strangled voice, before shaking his head and cleared his throat. "When? Where? _How?_ "

Hinata cringed slightly at the freckled man's questions, and looked up to face his friend. "A few weeks ago, at the hospital after Yachi was brought in," he said slowly, and watched comprehension dawn on Yamaguchi's face. He let his mouth open soundlessly a few times before sighing and ran his hand through his hair.

"So that was what happened," Yamaguchi mumbled, deep in thought. "He was supposed to come in to question Hitoka that day but he turned up just minutes before visiting hours were over instead and with a scary look on his face."

Hinata squirmed in his seat and averted his eyes. "It’s my fault," he whispered, clenching his fists tightly.

"Why?”

The intern didn't reply, his thoughts once again going to the scene in front of the train station.

"I saw Kageyama earlier, at the train station," he started softly. "…But he wasn’t alone. He was with the man in the picture you showed me of Kageyama's volleyball team." He looked up at Yamaguchi just as recognition flashed in his eyes.

"He was with Oikawa-san?" the other man clarified with the slightest narrow of the eyes. Hinata nodded.

"Had to be him," Hinata said dully, "They were being really friendly with each other."

"Is that so."

There was anger packed into the three words but Hinata didn't comment on it. He bit his lips.

"I don't—“he paused. "I don't know why I feel this way."

Yamaguchi tilted his head questioningly. "What do you mean, Hinata?" he asked while the intern sucked in a sharp intake of breath.

"When I saw them... There was this weird feeling inside, you know? Not the _fwaaa_ or _gwaaa_ type of feeling," he clutched his at his chest. "But something ugly. Like I wanted to hurt this Oikawa-san and get him away from Kageyama."

There was a moment of silence as the words settled in the air between them. Hinata had his eyes downcast, staring at his lap while trying his hardest to squash the unfamiliar feeling down from welling up within in. Then Yamaguchi gave a heavy sigh.

"Hinata," he began and the intern looked up to see the freckled man regarding him seriously. "You've never liked anyone before, have you?"

"But what does it mean to like someone?” he countered back almost exasperatedly, shaking his head. "Because I'm sure it's not supposed to feel like this."

His freckled friend hummed in thought. "Maybe it's different for everyone?  I think what you're feeling right now is jealousy."

Jealousy... He was jealous of Kageyama and Oikawa?  Why would he be? _No,_ the voice at the back of his head supplied, _not jealous of_ them, _but jealous of how Oikawa could touch the detective freely, and with their past relationship._

Yamaguchi was seemingly unaware of Hinata's inner turmoil as he tapped on his chin in thought. "When I first saw Hitoka, I thought she was cute," he began and a small smile graced his lips. "She was kind and funny in her own way, and really smart.  And then I realised I wanted to be more than just friends. "

"More?” the intern echoed softly and he nodded.

"I wanted to touch her, to hold her hand...  To see her smile at me and to see her smile because of me. I wanted a future with her," he paused and Hinata was that he was getting misty-eyed. "And that was when I knew I love her."

Hinata felt his throat tightening up at the sight of Yamaguchi's bashful face and looked away. He thought about the first time he had met Kageyama, when Daichi introduced them. The unintended insult and subsequent confused expression on the detective's face brought a fond smile to his lips. For all that he was brilliant at his job, Kageyama remained a socially awkward man, more often than not found it hard to express his thoughts in words.

And the memory of Kageyama's small, genuine smile tugged at Hinata's heartstrings as he remembered his wish to want to make him smile again.

Then, like a sudden breeze, it clicked.

Beyond the admiration he felt for the detective, there was an underlying emotion of something more. How sometimes his face would feel too hot under Kageyama's intense stare. How his chest would constrict pleasantly when they tossed about their usual banter. How he wished Kageyama's touch in his hair, on his elbow, would linger.

How his own eyes would follow the detective around the office and how his heart tended to skip a beat whenever they locked gazes.

Hinata raised a shaky hand to cover his mouth. Exhaling shakily, he looked up to find Yamaguchi watching him with wide eyes.

"Hinata," he whispered, licking his lips. "Do you... "

The rest of the sentence went unheard and Hinata could almost groaned at the memory of Kageyama's heartbroken face at the hospital.

"Yamaguchi," he whispered shakily, bringing bus hand on his face to run through his hair. "What do I do now?”

 

 

 

Tobio was not surprised when his phone rang with a call from the office the night after he had met with Oikawa. He was surprised, however, when his car decided not to start.

"Are you kidding me," he mumbled as he turned the ignition key again. The engine whirred and then died and Tobio wanted to yell in frustration. Instead he got out, slammed the door shut with more force than needed and ran towards the main road closest to his apartment to hail a cab, mentally calculating how much he would have to save from menial expenses for the next month as they drove towards Tokyo Bay.

When they told him the call to Tokyo Bay was of "suspicious activities", Tobio couldn't have expected the sight of a dead body floating in the waters to he considered as that. Sighing, his breath fogging up in front of him due to the cold, he dug his phone out to call for reinforcements while he scouted the area for any clues that could lead to the case.

Tokyo Bay was empty, as expected at the dead of the night, but the detective remained on high alert, eyes squinting into the darkness for the slightest signs of movements. Nothing came out at him and after a long moment and when the first sounds of police sirens cut into the chilly silence, Tobio was forced to consider that the possible assailants had left a long time ago.

Walking back to the dock, he was surprised to see Kuroo standing there, speaking with the paramedics on the retrieval of the floating body. He caught sight of Tobio walking up to him and gave him a small smirk.

"I didn't see your car around," the older man commented, making Tobio scowl as he thought of his traitorous car.

"It wouldn't start,” he mumbled, eye twitching when Kuroo started to guffaw.

"Must have caused a bomb taking the cab.”

The younger man grunted, watching the paramedics do their job. He suddenly felt really tired; the day's exhaustion was catching up to him and knowing the fact he was already clocking in overtime the night before his shift made his bones feel even heavier. Kuroo seemed to have noticed—his smirk had softened to a sympathetic smile.

"Tell you what," Kuroo began, pulling out his wallet to retrieve a five thousand yen bill. "Why don't you grab something to eat and maybe some coffee for yourself and head back to the station first. I'll take over and wait for Sawamura to arrive."

Tobio made a move to protest but the older man pressed the crumpled bill onto his hand, chuckling a simple "my treat", and went to speak with the paramedics and officers at the scene, leaving him gaping. Sighing in defeat because he knew that he could not win against Kuroo, he went ahead to flag a cab.

 

 

 

Work just piled up after he got to the station and he was up and about, handling three cases at once. With his lack of private transportation, Tobio was forced to take more cab rides than he had ever taken since first coming to Tokyo, half-wondering if he could claim all these fares and for the car repair.

He only got back to the station late evening the following day, dead on his feet, and so close to falling asleep. The station, as always, was busy, with fellow detectives following on their cases, running around to speak with colleagues and witnesses alike. As he dragged his feet to the direction of his desk, he saw Sawamura flipping through his report at his desk beside, dark circles prominent under his brown eyes. He looked as tired as Tobio felt.

"You look terrible," the detective blurted out without thinking and the older man looked up in a brief moment of surprise before smiling warily.

"You don't look too good yourself," Sawamura countered and Tobio could almost sigh in agreement as he began to shrug his coat off and sat heavily behind his desk.

"My car broke down, and I had three cases since I came in today," he mumbled and buried his head in his arms on the desk, "Let me sleep for a bit."

He heard Sawamura hummed, and then a hand was on his head, ruffling his hair roughly, earning a tired whine from the younger man.

"Daichi-san!”

The chirpy voice of a certain intern sent a jolt through Tobio as he forced himself to remain faced down on his desk and not react to it. "Dumbass," he mumbled into the sleeve of his shirt just as Hinata started talking to Sawamura, voice light and excitable that the detective couldn't help but sneak a peek at them.

The intern was practically buzzing with excitement, his brown eyes lightning up as he spoke to Sawamura and Tobio couldn't help the fond smile spreading on his face, hidden behind his arms. Even after the rejection, it wasn't like the detective had stopped loving him. Instead, watching Hinata being excited caused a warm feeling to course through his body, and his eyes never left the intern who had bounced away.

There was prickling sensation of someone's gaze on him and Tobio finally tore his eyes away from the intern's retreating figure to find Sawamura smirking at him. Flustered, he gave a weak glare at the older man and buried his face in his arms again. He heard him chuckle and forced himself to relax, before he remembered something.

"Sawamura-san," Tobio called out, lifting his head again. Sawamura looked up from his report at him questioningly. "I was wondering if you could share Iwaizumi-san's contact details with me. I have... An acquaintance who needs his services."

Sawamura raised an eyebrow at his seemingly polite request. "Sure," he said, pulling his phone out slowly. "But couldn't your, ah, acquaintance come to the police instead?"

Tobio shook his head. "It's a long story," he settled and Sawamura merely sighed before nodding, sending the details to him. The younger man thanked him and sent the details straight to Oikawa before receiving a reply mere moments later.

_Set up a meeting today._

Tobio scowled. What was he, the lawyer's assistant?

But Tobio had never been able to properly refuse Oikawa, so he texted an okay before searching for Iwaizumi's contact number to call the private investigator.

 

 

 

It was seven in the evening when Hinata leaned back against his chair and stretched, a wide smile on his face. It had been a good day, he felt, with all his reports done and when he was able to witness Kenma performing an autopsy. It was fascinating, watching the ever quiet Medical Officer studying the body, eyes wide, as if he was trying to solve a game.

He saved all the softcopy reports before switching his computer off and jumped to his feet, pulling his jacket over. He had a day off the following day and had planned on going back home to visit his mother and sister in Miyagi. He would need to pack and turn in early as his had booked the first train out the next morning.

"Good work today!" he exclaimed, slinging his bag over his head and made his way to the punch card. He heard Matsukawa return the sentiment and flashed the older man a smile. Turning round to where the punch card was, Hinata froze upon seeing Kageyama there.

The detective's blue eyes widened in surprise before he righted himself and Hinata tried to ignore the sudden pounding of his heartbeat.

"G-good work today!" he managed to stammer out as he plucked his own time card from the shelf to clock out. Kageyama, who was putting his time card back, gave a jerky nod.

"Good work," he mumbled back. Hinata glanced sideways to see Kageyama still standing there, hands deep in the pockets of his coat and tried hard to act natural. He quickly put his card back and turned to face the detective, hands playing on the strap of his messenger bag.

"So!” The intern began, "You're done with work early today."

The detective sighed wearily, before a scowl settled in his features. "I've been here since last night," he grumbled, looking so much like a sulking teenager that Hinata wanted to pinch his cheeks. "I need sleep."

The intern giggled. "So grumpy, Kageyama-kun," he teased and something in the detective relaxed visibly. "I would be too, if I had to work overtime. So you're off home now? "

Kageyama shook his head. "I have an appointment," he replied without elaborating as they walked out of the station. "What about you?"

"It's my day off tomorrow! I'm going back to Miyagi to visit my family!"

"That's nice," the detective commented, and the two shivered as the cold outside nipped at their skin, walking towards the train station. "I've haven't been home for a while. Maybe I'll do that too next time.”

Hinata turned to find a soft smile on the detective's face and felt a flutter deep in his stomach. _Ah,_ he thought. How could he have been so blind before?

The signs had all been there all along.

He had missed these comfortable chats with him, even the light-hearted insults and banters. Kageyama, besides being a brilliant detective, was a kind and often misunderstood person. But the rare instances of his smiles made him look so serene and endearing and Hinata wished he could just pull the detective down by his collar and cover his lips with his own—

"Kageyama..,” Hinata hadn't realised he had called out to him until the detective turned back a few steps ahead to look at him curiously.

"What?”

The intern's mind drew a blank. He opened his mouth wordlessly a few times before swallowing the lump in his throat. "N-nothing!" he stammered out, shaking his head vigorously and pretending that the heat in his cheeks and the tips of his ears was due to the cold wind. The detective stood staring at him for a moment before nodding and turning back.

And Hinata decided to pluck up his courage.

"Actually..!”

The taller man paused, turned back to look at Hinata once again, waiting. The intern could feel his palms getting sweaty and he clenched them I to fists by his sides. He was going to do it. He was going to tell him.

"Kageyama! Actually...  I—“

The sharp shrill of Kageyama's ringtone sliced through the atmosphere suddenly. The detective dug his phone out to look at the screen. "Sorry, I need to take this," he said to Hinata who could only nod mutely, feeling very put off.

He watched as Kageyama turned around, accepting the call and placing it on his ear before greeting the person on the other line.

"What is it, Oikawa-san?"

Oikawa-san.

_Oikawa-san._

It was like being doused by a bucket of ice water.

The warmth in his cheeks and chest faded, and was replaced with ice cold sensation needling in his veins. His chest tightened considerably, painfully, unlike it had been before. Hearing the name made Hinata feel awful, like there was something threatening to tear out from his skin, to lash out, either at Kageyama or this Oikawa-san.

The detective was blessedly unaware to Hinata's change of mood, his back still to the intern as he listened to the person—Oikawa-san—on the other line. His soft reply to him carried backwards to Hinata.

"I'll be there soon, Oikawa-san."

So he was meeting with Oikawa.

Suddenly Hinata wanted to leave. His chest hurt so much he could hardly breathe. There was a prickling sensation at the corner of his eyes and his nose hurt. He didn't wait for Kageyama to finish the call and excuse himself; his hands tightening on the straps of his messenger bag until his knuckles were white, he pushed past the detective, ignoring the surprised call of his name as he half-walked, half-ran to the station.

Once he was in the heated train, Hinata let his thoughts wander back to the confession in the hospital ward. If he had known earlier... If he had realised his feelings earlier... He wondered if they would be together right now, going home together on the train, hands clasped together between their bodies as they shared body warmth from their sides.

He hadn't realised tears were rolling down his cheeks until the elderly lady beside him offered him a pack of tissues with a sad, kind smile on her wrinkled lips.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's some more pain. /runs away
> 
> Comments are loved!!
> 
> I'm on [tumblr](http://forever-wonder2.tumblr.com/) if you wanna talk to me about my fics or anything Haikyuu!!


	13. sunshine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally wanted to post this before my exams but it wasn't finished then. So finally here's the last chapter! If there's any mistakes do let me know.
> 
> This chapter is dedicated to all you readers who has supported this story thus far. If it wasn't for you and your encouragements, I wouldn't have completed this.

Tobio came back to the station the next day tired and slightly hungover. And swearing to never, ever, accompany Oikawa on a drinking session ever again.

Iwaizumi had been great; he had agreed to the impromptu meeting without much fuss, stating the time and place to meet which the detective relayed to Oikawa. Tobio had arrived at the izakaya to find the private detective by himself, hair windswept, eyebrows furrowed but with a smile on his face, smoking a cigarette and the lawyer nowhere in sight despite his persistent phone calls earlier. It took another half hour of awkward conversation from Tobio's part with Iwaizumi for the lawyer to make his late entrance; strutting towards their table in his expensive peacoat and fluffy hair which Tobio suspected he had styled right before meeting them.

"Tobio-chan," the man had greeted him with a hint of teasing in his tone before he turned to Iwaizumi, sizing him up. "And you must be Iwaizumi-kun."

Iwaizumi hadn’t risen to his bait, eyeing the lawyer up and down, stubbing his cigarette before extending a hand out in greeting. "Iwaizumi Hajime. You're Oikawa?"

Oikawa had hummed, shaking hands with the other man before settling down across of him and beside Tobio. "I'm sure you've heard all about me from Tobio-chan here," he had said it with so much confidence that Tobio had to resist the urge to roll his eyes at his cup. Iwaizumi raised an eyebrow at the lawyer.

"Not really, just that you have a stalker problem," he said smoothly, digging into his pockets for a notepad and a pen. Tobio could feel Oikawa's narrowed glance at him during this time but ignored it, choosing to down his cup and refilling the other two men's cups.

They had gotten down to business after that, if Oikawa's passive-aggressive remarks were of any indication, jabbing at anything from Tobio's incompetence to "Iwa-chan's" business. Tobio could see the vein popping up at the private investigator's temple at every jab and couldn't help but feel second hand embarrassment for the pompous lawyer.

It was when Iwaizumi had asked Oikawa who he suspected to his stalker that had taken the cake. Oikawa had bent low over the table, fluttering his too-long eyelashes at Iwaizumi with a sly smirk on his face and his cup of sake dangling from his fingers.

"I can only think of one possibility," he had slurred and despite himself, Tobio found himself leaning forward slightly in anticipation. Iwaizumi had followed suit, his eyes unwavering from Oikawa's face when the lawyer parted his lips.

_"Aliens."_

He had said it with so much conviction that Tobio couldn't help the groan that had escaped him as he let his head drop onto the table. Iwaizumi hadn't said anything, eyes still on Oikawa who had leaned back, his smirk widening. After a few moments, the private investigator let out a weary sigh.

"Yeah—okay," Iwaizumi had said, bemused, glancing at the wall clock for a second as he stashed away his notepad and took out his name card. "Well, I have another client to meet now. So when you're feeling serious enough," he paused and slid his name card across the table in front of Oikawa. "You can call me for another appointment and we'll talk."

He had thrown a couple of bills on the table and grabbed his coat, bidding Oikawa and Tobio goodbye before leaving in a flash. Oikawa hadn't moved from his seat, eyes fixed on the door with a pout on his face, the one Tobio was familiar with as Oikawa sulking whenever he couldn't get what he had wanted. He had made to stand as well before Oikawa stopped him, narrowed eyes and all, and made the detective accompany him for another hour of drinks.

And Tobio, being the sucker that he was, couldn't refuse.

The detective sighed, sliding down his chair and rubbing at his face wearily. He had popped a couple of painkillers before he left home but the throbbing in his temple has yet to cease. Damn Oikawa-san.

"You look like you had a great night out."

Tobio cracked an eye open to find Kuroo hovering over him, a smirk in place. The younger man groaned, swatting weakly at the older man who chuckled before taking a seat opposite him, pushing a cup of coffee towards him.

"You'll need it," Kuroo said before turning to leaf through one of the reports piling on his desk.

"Thank you, Kuroo-san," Tobio mumbled automatically, reaching for the coffee and removing the lid. The aroma of instant coffee hit him almost immediately and he felt slightly better. He gulped the lukewarm liquid in one go before tossing the cup into the wastebasket. A memory of Hinata handing him a cup of coffee from the shop opposite with a warm smile flashed in his mind for a second and Tobio couldn't help but smile at that.

It seemed as though Kuroo could read his thoughts for he suddenly asked, "By the way, I haven't seen Shrimpy around today."

The casual conversational tone Kuroo used had Tobio squinting at him suspiciously.

"He has the day off," he said slowly, watching as Kuroo's smirk widen. "So he's gone back to Miyagi for the day."

The messy-haired detective hummed in response and said nothing else, his gold eyes now trained on his report. Tobio waited for him to say something, but he seemed to have lost interest in the conversation. Scowling, Tobio leaned back into his chair, his headache now receding as his thoughts unwittingly landed on the intern once more.

It had been a pleasant surprise when Hinata had started talking to him as normally as he could the day before, when he was clocking off. It was as if all tension had melted off his shoulders and Tobio had allowed himself to be relaxed around the intern, conversation coming to him as easily as before.  He didn't know why Hinata suddenly walked away after that, though, after he had taken Oikawa's call. Even more so when the intern didn't turn around when he called out to him.

Tobio shrugged it off. Maybe they would be able to repair their friendship after all. He would put aside all feelings he has for Hinata for the sake of them.

If was for the best.

 

 

 

It didn't take long for Tobio to realise he was being avoided the moment the intern came into the station the following day, bringing along confectionery sweets popular from the region.

Hinata was bouncing from desk to desk, offering their colleagues a bit of the sweets and chatting excitedly with them. It was only when he had reached Tobio's table that he offered the sweets under Tobio's nose, too thin smile spread on his face.

Tobio accepted one with a small smile. "Thank--"

But Hinata had already walked away, offering Sawamura and Kuroo one brightly and leaving to see Kozume. Stunned, Tobio could only stare at his back until he disappeared round the corner before bout of anger began boiling under his skin.

It was like taking one step forward and two steps back with them.

"Kageyama!"

The chief's voice cut through the office before the detective could stew over the issue with Hinata. Scowling, he tossed the sweet into the wastebasket and strode over to the chief's office, slamming the door shut with more force than needed. The older man said nothing but raised an eyebrow at him.

"Sorry," Tobio mumbled, fists clenched tightly to the sides of his body as he listened to the cases being handed over to him.

 

 

 

With two robbery cases and one assault case in a day, Tobio dragged himself back to the station after the sun had set, groaning as he settled into his chair. He noticed Sawamura and Kuroo watching him curiously from their own desks and heaved a weary sigh that made him sound older than he was.

"I need a long holiday," he muttered, blue eyes sliding shut as he brought an arm over them. Kuroo hummed in agreement while Sawamura shifted his attention to Tobio.

"You do know you can ask chief for a partner right? I know you're a genius, but the workload's crazy," Sawamura told the younger detective as he peeked from under his arm to find his partner nodding in agreement.

"You can bring Hinata along or something," Kuroo suggested to which Tobio snorted, a bout of irritation welling from within him.

"I'd rather work by myself than with that dumbass."

The words came out as a spite and Tobio half-regretted them as he saw Sawamura frown in disappointment.

"You're going to hurt his feelings if he hears that."

The younger detective didn't say anything to that, his lips pursed as Hinata chose that moment to appear next to him with a bounce in his step.

"Kageyama! The chief is looking for you!" The intern announced, a grin wide on his face.

Tobio fixed his eyes on the shorter man, not replying, with a frown tugging at his lips. How could he put up this cheerful act after the blatant avoidance earlier, his mind asked, his frown deepening.

His staring apparently unnerved Hinata, who suddenly took a few steps back in a defensive position, eyes wide. "W-what? You wanna go, bastard?"

Honestly all Tobio wanted to do right now was to ask Hinata why he was suddenly avoiding him again after they has started being on speaking terms know again. Was his feelings for the intern still making him uncomfortable? He found feel Sawamura and Kuroo's gazes on them still and found himself holding back the words that were already at the tip of his tongue. Taking another moment to let his eyes roam over Hinata's face, he stood up heavily and made his way to the chief's office.

"Dumbass," he scoffed and walked away while Hinata let out an indignant squawk but the intern didn't say or do anything else as Tobio walked away.

With his back turned to him, the detective didn't see the shift of expression on the intern's face.

 

 

 

He screwed up.

He screwed up big time.

Hinata bit his bottom lip to prevent it from quivering as his eyes skimmed through the report on hand. After he had dried his tears the other night on the train, he had packed an overnight bag and booked an earlier shinkansen to Miyagi, arriving late at night instead of the following morning. Natsu and his mother had been surprised, but neither said anything when he had turned up less than enthusiastic, his eyes downcast and his gaze faraway throughout the day.

It was when he was already at the platform the following evening, saying goodbye to his mother and sister before his train had arrived that Natsu had stepped in front of him and gave him a bone-crushing hug. Hinata hadn't been expecting it, his breath caught in his chest while his face received the fluff of wild orange hair of his sister.

"Big brother," she said once she had released him, gaze unwavering. "I don't know why you're feeling so down, but don't give up!"

Her words had left him stunned for a moment, but then he had broken into a genuine smile, the first for the day and brought her in for another hug, squeezing tight before his train arrived on the platform. He came to the station, sweets in his hands, all prepared to talk to Kageyama but cold feet gripped him at the last second when he had seen the small smile spreading on the detective's face, turning away the moment his lips parted in thanks and all but hightailed out. Kageyama's blank expression afterwards didn't help as well, and Hinata felt his chance slipping away at every step the detective took away from the intern.

Hinata let out a strangled sound between a whine and a groan before face planting on Kenma's desk, where he had been camping to avoid Kageyama. He heard a soft sigh coming from the front where Kenma was seated, followed by a squeak from the chair, and then silence, the usual tapping sound of fingers on glass screen absent.

"I screwed up," the intern mumbled into his report shoved up his nose, his eyes hot with warning. Kenma didn't say anything, and Hinata took a shuddering breath.

"I screwed up," he repeated.

Nothing was said between them after, as the Medical Officer let him wallow in self-pity. It was only after the intern sniffled, and lifted his head, discreetly wiping at his eyes that Kenma spoke, "You should talk to him."

"But it’s been three days. He definitely hates me now," Hinata countered, his brown eyes glistening under the harsh fluorescent light. "After all I've done to him... He definitely hates me."

He made such a pitiful sound, sniffling into his palm that the medical officer leaned back in his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose in impatience. "And what makes you think that?" he asked levelly.

The intern gave another pitiful sniff. “You should have seen his face. There’s no way he wouldn’t hate me now,” he paused, his bottom lip wobbling. “Even I hate me now.”

“Shouyou—“

“Maybe,” he cut Kenma off loudly, his eyes downcast as the lump in his throat slowly rose. “Maybe… He no longer loves me. Maybe he went back to the other man.”

His voice tapered off into the silence of Kenma’s office, his mind replaying the memories from the last few days. Maybe Kageyama had moved on, after the rejection at the hospital. Maybe it was only Hinata who felt this way, what an idiot he was—

A tissue box entered his peripheral vision and Hinata flinched, blinking away his blurry vision as he hastily pulled a few tissue sheets from the offered box. Kenma didn’t say anything, his gold eyes fixed on Hinata, his lips set in a straight line as the intern blew his nose and dabbed at his eyes. Once he threw the dirty tissue into the wastebasket, the Medical Officer spoke.

“I’ve been here a few years,” Kenma began softly, and Hinata dragged his eyes up to lock gazes with him. “Kuroo encouraged me to work here. And I’ve been working with Kageyama for a long while now.”

“He may not be the easiest to get along with, and there have always been bad rumours about him, but I can tell he’s an earnest guy,” he paused and gave Hinata a small smile, a flicker of unreadable emotion reflecting in his gold eyes before it disappeared. “But I can tell that he really likes you.”

“But how can you be so sure?” the intern whispered, a small ray of hope blossoming in his chest which he tried to ignore.

Kenma’s smile widened, and there was something melancholic in it. “Because I have seen the way he looks at you, Shouyou. I’ve never seen him look at someone like that since I’ve known him.”

“He looks at you the same way I look at you.”

The confession came out easily, and Hinata took a moment for the words to sink in. Eyes widened, he looked at Kenma, his lips parted in surprise. The medical officer didn’t look nervous, or embarrassed; his gold gaze remained steady on the intern as his sad smile stayed on his lips. The intern licked his suddenly dry lips as he tried to force his voice out.

“Wha—“

Whatever he wanted to say was interrupted by the loud rapping against the office door and it opening a second later.

“Kenma—Whoops.”

Hinata turned to find Kuroo standing in the doorway, one hand on the doorknob and one hand rubbing the back of his head. There was a sheepish smile on his face, as if he was apologetic about interrupting the two in the office, but Hinata could see the strain at the corners of his lips and the darkness under his eyes. He heard Kenma gave a sigh.

“Looks like I have another patient appointment now,” Kenma said sarcastically and Kuroo gave an uneasy laugh. The Medical Officer turned to Hinata. “You should talk to him, Shouyou,” he added, and a genuine smile bloomed in his face that made Kuroo gasp. “You haven’t screwed it up.”

At that, the intern suddenly felt a burst of confidence running through him.

_He hasn’t screwed it up._

_He needed to talk to Kageyama._

“I’m going to talk to him,” he exclaimed, standing up, gathering his reports as blood pounded in his ears. Kenma nodded in agreement as Hinata shuffled past Kuroo at the doorway before he paused and turned back to him.

“Kenma,” the intern called, and he waited until the Medical Officer looked up at him before giving him his own sincere smile. “… Thank you. For everything.”

Kenma smiled and nodded, and the intern was running out of the office, suddenly feeling invincible.

 

 

 

“…”

“…”

“Want me to pull out the apple pie and movies later?”

“Shut up, Kuro.”

 

 

 

“Yo, Kageyama.”

Tobio looked up from his report to find Matsukawa standing in front of his desk.

“Yes, Matsukawa-san?”

“We’re off grabbing dinner at the ramen stall nearby since it’s going to be a long night for us. You wanna come?” The older man asked and that was when Tobio noticed almost everyone working the night shift was waiting for them by the door. He honestly wouldn’t mind joining them, but with his recently closed robbery case, he wanted to complete the report as soon as possible before tackling his other cases. Not to mention he didn’t feel like socialising at that moment. He shook his head and tried to give a smile.

“I’ll pass. I have some work to do,” he said, before Matsukawa nodded in understanding as he began walking.

“Alright. Call me if you feel like getting anything later.”

Tobio nodded and watched the rest of his colleagues leave until silence descended upon him. He put down his report and stretched his arms, feeling the joints pop and the muscles shift under his shirt. Sighing, he let himself have this moment of reprieve, closing his eyes and tipping his head back against the chair. The past few days had been hectic, and it had been running in and out of the station multiple times within a few hours. If Tobio wasn’t in, talking to Sawamura or the chief, he would be outside, hunting for trails and questioning witnesses. Oikawa called a few times during the day, which Tobio had been unable to pick up due to work, but on the off-chance that he did pick up, he was forced to listen to a tirade of whines from the older man about Iwaizumi who had begrudgingly picked up his case after a second meeting. Tobio could only sigh as he gave one word answers and grunts in the pauses of Oikawa’s stories; the lesser he spoke, the faster the call would end. There was a sense of weariness in his bones which he hadn’t felt in a while—the kind which gnawed on you a little at a time, until you no longer feel like yourself at work.

Come to think of it, the last he had felt that way was before he had met Hinata; burnout at work from exhaustion, to the point where he had passed out. Tobio sighed.

A shuffle of feet from behind caught his attention as he wondered who it might be. From what he remembered, almost everyone had joined Matsukawa for ramen; maybe someone had forgotten his wallet?

But the shuffling came closer to him until it stopped beside him. There was a thump and a slight shake from his desk that told him that the someone was sitting beside him on his desk. Who—

“Kageyama?”

Tobio’s heart gave a lurch.

Taking a deep breath, the detective counted to three before slowly opening his eyes to find Hinata watching him from his perch on the desk, his eyes oddly bright. He swallowed the lump around his throat as he sat straight in his chair and tried to put on his best scowl.

“What is it?” he asked not too gently, but the intern did not flinch at his tone, perhaps too used to his grumpiness. He watched Hinata steel himself before holding out something to him. Blinking, Tobio looked down at the object to find that it was a piece of photograph that looked oddly familiar. He took it wordlessly, turning it around and immediately recognised the team—it was a picture of his university volleyball team from when he was a first-year. He spotted himself quickly next to Oikawa, leaning against the other man and remembered that this was taken a week after they decided to officially go out.

“Where did you get this?” Tobio asked absentmindedly, scanning the team once again before looking up to find Hinata looking at him owlishly, his bottom lip between his teeth.

“Yamaguchi,” the intern simply said and Tobio grunted.

_Of course._

“Thanks,” he said to Hinata, leaning against his chair. “I was wondering where it went. It’s the only picture I have of the team.”

“You were going out with Oikawa-san then, right?”

The question came out of nowhere and Tobio could only stare at Hinata wordlessly. “How—, “he began and stopped, remembering that Yamaguchi had given him the photo. “He told you, huh?” he said instead and the intern nodded. The detective sighed as he eyes the photo again, more specifically at himself and Oikawa.

“Yeah,” he replied. “I had always admired him in middle school, so finding out that I was in the same team with him in university made me happy as well. The fact that Oikawa-san accepted my confession then made me even happier.” Tobio shrugged at that and looked up at Hinata, whose eyes was on the photo as well. “It was a long time ago, though. It didn’t work out, and we both knew it wouldn’t happen again, so,” he gave another shrug, placing the photograph on the table before looking back at the intern. “What’s with the questions?”

Hinata didn’t answer immediately, instead tearing his eyes away from the photo to look down at his shoes, his feet dangling just an inch above ground from where he sat. Tobio didn’t try to fill the silence, watching confusedly as the intern continued nibbling his bottom lip as if deep in thought. Then, his lips parted.

“I saw you two,” Hinata began, voice low, and Tobio noticed the sudden clenching of fists at his sides. “Last week. In front of the train station.”

The detective tilted his head sideways as he tried recalling the events of the previous week. “… Oh,” he breathed out after a moment, frowning slightly at the memory. “Oikawa-san contacted me suddenly after a long time. Apparently he was having some stalker problems and asked if I could help him. I helped set a meeting with him and Iwaizumi-san the following day.”

“Iwaizumi-san?”

“A private detective,” Tobio clarified, looking at Hinata. “He’s Sawamura-san’s contact.”

It was as if a dark cloud had parted on Hinata’s face; suddenly his expression brightened and his cheeks formed rosy patches that made Tobio’s heart leap up his throat. The detective tried squashing it down, clearing this throat uncomfortably as he squirmed in his seat. “So,” he coughed, his eyes on Hinata still. “What’s this all about?”

There was something endearingly cute at the way Hinata suddenly ducked his head from the detective’s gaze into his hands as he let out a muffled whine into them before peeking from above his fingers. “Promise you won’t yell?” he asked in a tiny voice and Tobio frowned at him confused.

“What is it, dumbass?”

The tips of Hinata’s ears were red now as the intern removed his hands from his face, his eyes on his lap. It took a few moments and Tobio almost wanted to yell at him to start talking before he spoke again.

“I thought you got back together with Oikawa-san.”

Tobio didn’t know whether to laugh or to yell at that statement so he settled for choking on his spit and coughing.

“There’s,” he gasped, sputtering. “No. way—“

Hinata was waving his hands frantically now, his face red as he stammered. “I-I know that now! I didn’t know then! I thought you’ve moved on,” he paused as he calmed down, his bottom lip between his teeth again. “…from me.”

Something vulnerable flashed in his brown eyes that made Tobio’s blue ones widened. He slowly got up, and stood in front of the blushing intern, a warmth spreading from his core up to his chest. Hinata raised his head slowly and his eyes met the detective’s. “You,” the detective whispered, feeling hope blossoming in his chest which he no longer tried to squash. He swallowed the lump in his throat, his voice coming out even softer at the next part, “What are you trying to say?”

His expression told Tobio all that he wanted but he needed to hear it; he needed to know if this was real. “Bakageyama,” Hinata breathed out endearingly and Tobio’s hand twitched to reach out. “Do I have to spell it out for you?”

When the detective didn’t give any reply to that, his eyes trained on Hinata, the intern could only give a nervous giggle, before his braced himself, his eyes hardening slightly in determination. “I know you told me to forget it back at the hospital,” he began, and Tobio recalled the confession with an unpleasant twist in his stomach. “But I couldn’t. I can’t.”

“I had always admired you. The you who’s brilliant at your job and the grumpy you that I know is hiding a kind person. And it was when I saw you with him that I realised.”

Hinata took a deep breath, his face impossibly crimson. “I realised that I wanted to touch you and make you smile. I wanted you for myself.” Tobio’s heart leapt. “I—I don’t know if my feelings are as much as yours to me but…”

“I love you too,” he breathed those words out and Tobio swore he could feel the floor move under him as Hinata locked his unwavering gaze on him. “Maybe I’ve always have but have been too dumb and blind to see it.”

“Kageyama, I love you.”

Tobio didn’t need anything else. He stepped closer to Hinata, between the intern’s dangling legs as he brought one hand up to cup his chin, his thumb smoothing the irritant skin on his bottom lip where it had been repeatedly chewed on.

“Hinata,” he whispered and heard the other man gave a sharp intake as he leaned closer. “Can I kiss you?”

He could feel the rush of air on his skin as Hinata let out a breathless chuckle. Brown eyes blinked once, twice, before sliding half-way down, the intern whispered, “Yes.”

Tobio eyes slid shut as he leaned in the final few inches, pressing his lips gently against Hinata’s. It was soft, new yet familiar and Tobio could feel the warmth spreading from his face to the tips of his fingers and toes. He could feel the intern relaxed against him, sighing as he tilted his head for a better angle. The detective followed, parting a second before pressing in again. And again. And again.

At some point their lips began to move against one another and Hinata’s arms had snaked around his neck as he pressed closer, a hand supporting himself on the desk and his own hand on the other man’s chin moving to the back of his neck, playing with the soft hairs at his nape. They broke apart once the need to air arose and Tobio leaned his forehead against Hinata’s, opening his eyes slowly to find Hinata smiling at him abashedly. He couldn’t help his own smile from spreading on his face before he stole a kiss from the intern.

“Dumbass,” he said softly and Hinata breathed a laugh. “Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”

The intern leaned backwards, a hand unwinding from his neck to brush Tobio’s bangs from his face. “Because I’m a dumbass,” he said simply, his smile widening and the detective couldn’t help but lean in for another kiss just because he could.

_“Ahem.”_

The two broke apart at the sound of the cough and turned to find Akaashi watching them with a poker face, a steaming cup of instant noodles in his hands. Tobio saw Akaashi’s lips gave a twitch and wondered how longer he had been standing there.

“Akaashi-san!” Hinata squeaked, untangling his hands quickly from Tobio ask if he had been scalded by hot water. “This—um—well—“

Akaashi raised a hand and the intern fell silent, squirming uncomfortably. But then the smile broke out on his face and Tobio could feel himself relaxing along with the intern.  

“It’s okay, Hinata,” Akaashi said softly.  “I’ll be on my way now. Congratulations.”

“Thanks,” Tobio said bluntly and he heard the older detective gave an amused snort as he walked to the pantry. The two watched him until he was out of sight before turning to face each other.

The embarrassed look on Hinata’s face had Tobio let out a snort and Hinata whined, kicking his shin lightly.

“Don’t laugh at me, Bakageyama!”

“I’m not,” he countered, watching in amusement as the intern tried to pout before dissolving in a fit of giggle.

“At least it wasn’t the chief who saw us,” the intern said lightly. Tobio shrugged.

“He wouldn’t care either way.”

Hinata rolled his eyes, but the smile on his face remained as he reached out to hold Tobio’s hand. The detective let him intertwine their fingers together until they were palm to palm. The warmth in their linked hands sent a flutter in his stomach and he watched in the interned peeked up at him from under his eyelashes.

“Looks like we’re going to be together then,” Hinata said easily, laughing at the frown on Tobio’s face. “Please take care of me.”

The smile the smaller man gave him was bright and warm like the sun and Tobio secretly swore that he would do anything to keep staying in its light.

“Hm,” he nodded, a small smile on his face, reaching his free hand to tuck Hinata’s hair behind his ear. “Likewise.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading sunny days! When I first started writing this kagehina fic, I envisioned a simple oneshot. I honestly didn't expect it to turn into the monster it is now, 13 chapters and more than 40k of words. I enjoyed writing this and I hope you enjoyed reading this.
> 
> There'll be more to come in this AU. I'm planning out an IwaOi sequel to sugar and salt titled **love or lies** which I hope to start posting before the year ends. There will also be more short stories with various pairings and characters so if you haven't [subscribe](http://archiveofourown.org/series/436027) to the series, please do so! 
> 
> Thank you all again for reading this and I'll see you all again soon!
> 
> I'm on [tumblr](http://forever-wonder2.tumblr.com/) if you wanna talk to me about my fics or anything Haikyuu!!


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